03/06 -- Iranian drones target Tel Aviv as Israeli forces attack Tehran, Beirut; Why Donald Trump's Iran War Is Unconstitutional
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Thomas L. Knapp
Mar 6, 2026, 6:12:53 AMMar 6
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 03/06/26
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Iranian drones target Tel Aviv as Israeli forces attack Tehran, Beirut
2) “ICE Barbie” out as top heimatschutz shot-caller
3) Cuba hit by widespread blackout; Ecuador expels Havana’s ambassador, staff
4) US DOJ publishes documents with sexual assault allegations against Trump
5) US state regimes sue over new tariffs
6) France: Appeals Court Lowers Charges Against Police Officer Facing Trial for Murder of Teenager
7) US Home Relistings Hit Record High In January
8) Sea levels much higher than previously thought due to “methodological blind spot,” study finds
9) US jobless claims filings unchanged from previous week at 213,000 as layoffs remain low
10) Lebanon: Israeli invaders demand mass evacuation of Beirut’s southern suburbs
11) Nepalis vote in first election since Gen Z uprising for change
12) House committee subpoenas Bondi to testify on her mishandling of the Epstein case
13) TX: Democrat James Talarico’s weird “white skin” social media post earns GOP wrath
14) Federal judge reminds DeSantis he didn’t get elected president
15) NASA: No chance asteroid will slam into the moon in 2032
16) Musk takes witness stand in trial over Twitter takeover
17) China: Regime sets lowest economic growth target since 1991
18) Mexico: Court Orders Army to Hand in Missing Documents on Students That Disappeared
19) Honduras: Regime weighs shift in China-Taiwan ties as Trump pushes for US dominance in Latin America
20) Michael Jackson accused of child sex trafficking in new lawsuit
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Why Donald Trump’s Iran War Is Unconstitutional
22) Thune and Johnson: A Tale of Two Orphans
23) MAGA is shitting on our AI lead
24) Donald Trump’s Unjust and Unconstitutional War
25) Vance Puts MAGA Ideology Above All Else
26) The US War Machine Is Run By Deranged Armageddon Cultists
27) Trump’s Iran War Is Grounds for Impeachment, According to the Constitution
28) Trump’s war of choice in Iran isn’t putting “America First”
29) Five Things to Know About Trump’s Illegal War on Iran
30) The Pretty/True 2×2
31) Why progressives’ single-payer health care dream would bankrupt California
32) On Iran, Spain’s Sanchez rises above the bowed heads of Europe
33) US Media Only Care About Iranian Deaths When They Serve the Imperial Narrative
34) Anti Social Media
35) Anthropic vs. The Pentagon: AI Ethics Collide With Government Power
36) Demography Isn’t Destiny
37) Trump’s Way of War
38) Why Adam Smith Disdained the British Empire
39) Small Fires Everywhere: The Wages of Boomer Foreign Policy
40) Three Reasons Why Trump’s Math on Drug Boat Bombings Doesn’t Add Up
41) Act Now to Defend Our Republic!
42) The Other War Next Door: Pakistan vs. Afghanistan
43) How Poland Became One of Europe’s Best-Performing Economies
44) Make Year-Long Standard Time the Nationwide Standard Again
45) America is at war, but Americans didn’t vote for it
46) Peace sells
47) My Weightlifting Heresy or How I Became a Bolshevik
48) Iraq Did Happen
49) Time to End the American-Israeli Alliance
50) Stuck in Another Disastrous Middle East War
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 03/05/26
52) TAC Right Now, 03/05/26
53) The Libertarian Angle, 03/05/26
54) Underthrow Podcast, 03/05/26
55) The Political Orphanage, 03/05/26
56) The Fifth Column, episode 547
57) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 03/05/26
58) Kibbe on Liberty, episode 375
59) Daniel Davis on The Scott Horton Show
60) Declare Your Independence with Ernest Hancock, 03/04/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Iranian drones target Tel Aviv as Israeli forces attack Tehran, Beirut
Source: New York Times
“The Israeli military said it pounded Hezbollah targets in the densely populated southern suburbs of Beirut early Friday while also pummeling Tehran, after the U.S. military said its campaign was sharply degrading Iran’s ability to retaliate. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps also launched a wave of drones and missiles at targets in Tel Aviv on Friday, according to a statement from the force reported by IRNA, the country’s state news agency. Air-raid sirens went off in the city, and the Israeli military said that it had detected missile launches from Iran.” (03/06/26)
https://archive.is/53kfS
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2) “ICE Barbie” out as top heimatschutz shot-caller
Source: Axios
“Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is leaving the department and he will nominate Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) as her replacement, President Trump said Thursday. … Trump said Noem will be ‘moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida.’ He also said Mullin will start on March 31, calling him a ‘A MAGA Warrior’ who ‘truly gets along well with people, and knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Advance our America First Agenda.’ … Noem drew bipartisan fury after accusing Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti and mother Renee Nicole Good of being domestic terrorists after both were [murdered] by federal agents in January. … Half of Americans supported abolishing ICE in an early March YouGov poll, a sign of how much support has eroded for one of Trump’s signature political strengths on Noem’s watch.” (03/05/26)
https://archive.is/bnDH5
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3) Cuba hit by widespread blackout; Ecuador expels Havana’s ambassador, staff
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“A power outage has struck most of Cuba, including the capital Havana, the state electric utility said, as the administration of United States President Donald Trump continues its attempts to cripple the Caribbean nation by curtailing vital oil shipments. News of the widespread power outage on Wednesday emerged as the country’s diplomatic relations with Latin American neighbour Ecuador plummeted after the expulsion of Havana’s top envoy and diplomatic staff from the Ecuadorian capital Quito was announced. Cuban state media outlet Cubadebate said the blackout was caused by a fault at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, located about 100km (62 miles) east of Havana, which cut electricity from Pinar del Rio in the far west of the country to the eastern Las Tunas province.” (03/05/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/5/cuba-hit-by-widespread-blackout-ecuador-expels-havanas-ambassador-staff
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4) US DOJ publishes documents with sexual assault allegations against Trump
Source: Politico
“The Justice Department posted a trio of FBI interviews with a woman who alleged President Donald Trump sexually assaulted her when she was a young teenager after she was introduced to him by Jeffrey Epstein. The woman’s central allegation, according to FBI summaries of her interviews with investigators, known as FBI 302s, is that Trump hit her after she bit his penis when he attempted to force her to perform oral sex. The three files come as Democrats are investigating whether the department purposefully withheld materials that included sexual assault allegations against Trump.” (03/05/26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/05/donald-trump-epstein-files-allegations-00816123
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5) US state regimes sue over new tariffs
Source: NBC News
“Some two dozen states challenged President Donald Trump’s new global tariffs on Thursday, filing a lawsuit over import taxes he imposed after a stinging loss at the Supreme Court. The Democratic attorneys general and governors in the lawsuit argue that Trump is overstepping his power with planned 15% tariffs on much of the world. Trump has said the tariffs are essential to reduce America’s longstanding trade deficits. He imposed duties under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 after the Supreme Court struck down tariffs he imposed last year under an emergency powers law. … The new suit argues that Trump can’t pivot to Section 122 because it was intended to be used only in specific, limited circumstances — not for sweeping import taxes. It also contends the tariffs will drive up costs for states, businesses and consumers.” (03/05/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/20-states-sue-new-tariffs-trump-imposed-supreme-court-loss-rcna261964
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6) France: Appeals Court Lowers Charges Against Police Officer Facing Trial for Murder of Teenager
Source: US News & World Report
“A French police officer initially charged with murder in the deadly shooting of a teenager in 2023 will instead stand trial for the lesser charge of voluntary assault leading to death, the Versailles appeals court said on Thursday. Police officer Florian M. had fired at Nahel Merzouk after the latter had failed to comply with an order to stop his car. The seventeen year old had later died from his wounds, sparking violent protests across the country. In 2025, the Nanterre prosecutor’s office said one of two officers under investigation, identified as Florian M., would face the Assize Court of Hauts-de-Seine on charges of murder. Florian M. appealed, and the court lowered the charges on Thursday. … Under French law, voluntary assault leading to death by a person holding state authority carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, compared with up to 30 years for murder.” (03/05/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-03-05/french-appeals-court-lowers-charges-against-police-officer-facing-trial-for-killing-of-teenager
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7) US Home Relistings Hit Record High In January
Source: National Mortgage Professional
“A pronounced increase in home relistings suggests U.S. sellers are gearing up for a potentially busier spring housing season, according to a new analysis from Redfin. Nearly 45,000 homes that were taken off the market in 2025 were relisted in January 2026 — the highest January relisting count in records going back to 2016, and equivalent to 3.6 % of all active listings for the month. Relistings occur when a home that was previously taken off the market is listed again after at least 31 days off the market, signaling renewed seller confidence. The surge follows a period in which many sellers withdrew homes rather than accept low offers amid declining demand, high housing costs, and economic uncertainty.” (03/05/26)
https://nationalmortgageprofessional.com/news/home-relistings-hit-record-high-january
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8) Sea levels much higher than previously thought due to “methodological blind spot,” study finds
Source: CBS News
“Rising sea levels caused by climate change may be significantly higher than previously thought, according to a new study, which says a “methodological blind spot” led researchers to underestimate existing coastal water levels. The revelation suggests that higher seas threaten tens of millions more people than scientists and government officials believed, with elevated risks for already vulnerable communities. The new research, published in the journal Nature, reviewed hundreds of scientific studies and hazard assessments, calculating that about 90% of them underestimated baseline coastal water heights by an average of 1 foot. The study found it’s a far more frequent problem in the Global South, the Pacific and Southeast Asia, and less so in Europe and along Atlantic coasts.” (03/05/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sea-levels-higher-methodological-blind-spot-study/
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9) US jobless claims filings unchanged from previous week at 213,000 as layoffs remain low
Source: Seattle Times
“The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week was unchanged from the week before, a sign that layoffs remain at historically low levels. U.S. filings for jobless aid for the week ending Feb. 28 matched the previous week’s 213,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet forecast 215,000 new benefit applications. Filings for unemployment benefits are viewed as a proxy for U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.” (03/05/26)
https://archive.is/LZ15F
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10) Lebanon: Israeli invaders demand mass evacuation of Beirut’s southern suburbs
Source: United Press International
“The Israeli Army on Thursday ordered a mass evacuation of Beirut’s southern suburbs — a main stronghold of Iran-backed Hezbollah — in an unprecedented warning ahead of massive strikes, causing widespread panic among fleeing residents and heavy traffic jams in the capital. Army Arabic spokesman Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee issued the warning for entire densely populated neighborhoods in the southern suburbs — citing Bourj al-Barajneh, Hadath, Haret Hreik and Chiyah — and calling on their residents to immediately leave their homes ahead of potential strikes to save their lives. … Israeli English-language websites quoted Israeli defense officials as saying that the warning precedes what is expected to be a large-scale strike in the area, describing the planned operation as one of the most dramatic developments so far in the fighting along the northern front.” (03/05/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/03/05/lebanon-southern-lebanon-evacuation-israel-attacks/9241772722283/
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11) Nepalis vote in first election since Gen Z uprising for change
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Millions of Nepalis have voted in the country’s first general election since violent youth-led protests toppled the government last September. Corruption, economic stagnation and inequality were the main issues in the vote. They sparked the uprising in which 77 people died, many of them protesters shot by police. The election represents a crossroads for Nepal, pitting the establishment against a new generation of politicians advocating for angry, young Gen Z voters hungry for change. Counting the votes cast for the Nepalese parliament’s 275 seats is expected to take several days, and results are not expected before next week. Nepal’s mountainous terrain makes it slow and difficult to transport ballots, which are tallied by hand.” (03/05/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79550jrye8o
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12) House committee subpoenas Bondi to testify on her mishandling of the Epstein case
Source: Politico
“A House committee voted Wednesday to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify about her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Five Republicans joined with all Democrats in support of a motion to call the nation’s top law enforcement official up to Capitol Hill for questioning, and the motion itself was offered by GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina. It underscores the increasing frustration with Bondi among members of her own party, catalyzed in part by the Epstein saga. The Justice Department did not immediately return a request for comment.” (03/04/26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/04/pam-bondi-subpoena-epstien-00812960
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13) TX: Democrat James Talarico’s weird “white skin” social media post earns GOP wrath
Source: New York Post
“A social media post from James Talarico about his ‘white skin’ giving him ‘immunity’ from the ‘virus of racism’ has left the Democratic US Senate nominee from Texas wide open to attacks from Republicans and other pundits, who attacked his message as ‘peak woke’ and openly racist. GOP Gov. Greg Abbott said the pro-Black Lives Matter post is proof that Talarico ‘is toast’ in the Nov. 3 contest, in which Democrats are seeking to win one of Texas’ two US Senate seats for the first time since 1988. Talarico, a state legislator who triumphed over US Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) in Tuesday’s primary, suggested in an X post on May 8, 2020, that he was as ‘contagious’ as any white American in spreading systemic racism. The message merged the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic with the headline-making murder of Ahmaud Arbery while jogging in Georgia.” (03/05/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/03/05/us-news/democrat-james-talaricos-weird-white-skin-social-media-posts-earns-the-gops-wrath-he-is-toast/
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14) Federal judge reminds DeSantis he didn’t get elected president
Source: NBC News
“A federal judge on Wednesday blocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis'[s] order to classify a prominent Muslim civil rights group as a terrorist organization, calling the Republican’s action ‘a political statement at the expense of others’ constitutional rights.’ U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a preliminary injunction against the governor’s actions related to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR. DeSantis issued an executive order on Dec. 8 calling CAIR a ‘terrorist organization,’ which prevented the organization from ‘receiving any contract, employment, funds or other benefit or privilege.'” (03/05/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/court-says-florida-gov-ron-desantis-cant-call-civil-rights-group-terro-rcna261901
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15) NASA: No chance asteroid will slam into the moon in 2032
Source: SFGate
“NASA issued a welcomed all-clear Thursday, saying there’s now zero chance that asteroid 2024 YR will crash into the moon in 2032. The space agency had been predicting a 4.3% chance of a direct hit. But observations by the Webb Space Telescope in February helped scientists refine the asteroid’s orbit. This new information indicates that the asteroid will miss the moon by 13,200 miles (21,200 kilometers) on Dec. 22, 2032. Discovered at the end of 2024, the asteroid at first looked like it might threaten Earth. Scientists last year ruled out a collision with our planet anytime in the next century, but kept the moon as a possible target. The asteroid is about 200 feet (60 meters) across.” (03/05/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/no-chance-asteroid-will-slam-into-the-moon-in-21957280.php
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16) Musk takes witness stand in trial over Twitter takeover
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“Elon Musk took the stand on Wednesday in a trial brought by Twitter investors, who allege the billionaire committed securities fraud as he was buying the social media company in 2022. The class-action lawsuit alleges Musk agreed to buy Twitter but then waffled for months, attacking the company with the goal of bringing down the stock price to get a better bargain. After contentious legal wrangling, Musk did eventually buy Twitter for $54.20 a share, his original offer, totalling around $44bn. Musk testified on Wednesday that he didn’t realize his attacks on the company, mostly done via tweet on Twitter itself, would lower the company’s stock price or hurt its investors.” (03/04/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/mar/04/elon-musk-twitter-takeover-trial
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17) China: Regime sets lowest economic growth target since 1991
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“China has cut its annual economic growth target to a range of 4.5%-5%, the lowest expansion goal since 1991 as it grapples with challenges both at home and abroad. It is the first time the target has been lowered since it was cut to ‘around 5%’ in 2023. A target was not set in 2020 due to the pandemic. The details were released during China’s biggest political gathering, known as the “two sessions”, alongside the release of some details of the 15th Five Year Plan for the world’s second largest economy. Beijing aims to reshape its economy as it faces issues like weak consumption, a shrinking population, an ongoing property crisis, global trade tensions and an energy crunch due to the Iran war. One China analyst told the BBC that the lower target gives China ‘more room to manage the economy’ without being forced into making huge financial commitments just to hit a precise goal.” (03/05/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqxddwl93qjo
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18) Mexico: Court Orders Army to Hand in Missing Documents on Students That Disappeared
Source: US News & World Report
“A Mexican court ordered the army to hand over long-awaited documents that could advance the landmark investigation into the 2014 disappearance of 43 students in southern Guerrero state at the alleged hands of organized crime and local security forces. The ruling, seen by Reuters on Wednesday, rejected the army’s prior assertion that 853 missing pages of information generated by the CFRI, an army intelligence agency, did not exist, and ordered that these must now be handed over. The government has for over a decade promised to find those responsible for one of the country’s worst human rights atrocities, but no one has been convicted, though over 100 have been arrested and face ongoing prosecutions.” (03/04/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-03-04/mexico-court-orders-army-to-hand-in-missing-documents-on-students-that-disappeared
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19) Honduras: Regime weighs shift in China-Taiwan ties as Trump pushes for US dominance in Latin America
Source: SFGate
“Three years after Honduras parted ways with Taiwan and forged diplomatic ties with China in hope of economic gain, shrimp farmers in the Central American country are in revolt. Their sales to Taiwan fell to a mere $16 million in 2025, down from more than $100 million in 2022, and the Chinese didn’t fill the void as hoped. ‘We were deceived,’ said Javier Amador, executive director of the National Aquaculture Association of Honduras, as he described the promises from former President Xiomara Castro of better opportunities with China when she severed ties with Taiwan and opened an embassy in Beijing in 2023. Nasry Asfura, who was elected president with the backing of President Donald Trump and sworn into office in January, has ordered a review of agreements between Tegucigalpa and Beijing. This has fueled expectations that Honduras will distance itself from China, in line with a Trump administration campaign to reduce Chinese influence and economic clout in Latin America.” (03/05/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/honduras-weighs-shift-in-china-taiwan-ties-as-21956152.php
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20) Michael Jackson accused of child sex trafficking in new lawsuit
Source: NBC News
“Four siblings who were longtime friends of Michael Jackson are accusing the late pop star of being a ‘serial child predator’ who preyed upon then when they were as young as ‘seven or eight’ in a bombshell lawsuit filed last week in California. Edward, Dominic and Aldo Cascio and their sister Marie-Nicole Porte called Jackson a ‘serial child predator’ who, ‘over the course of more than a decade drugged, raped and sexually assaulted each of the plaintiffs,’ according to their complaint in U.S. District Court. The plaintiffs met Jackson through their father, who worked at a hotel that Jackson often stayed at, the lawsuit says. The Michael Jackson Co. and people associated with the estate, trust and production companies attached to Jackson were named as defendants.” (03/04/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/michael-jackson-accused-child-sex-trafficking-new-lawsuit-rcna261730
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Why Donald Trump’s Iran War Is Unconstitutional
Source: The Dispatch
by Ilya Somin
“The large-scale U.S. military attack on Iran (undertaken in collaboration with Israel) is blatantly unconstitutional, even if its wisdom and morality are more debatable. Article I of the Constitution gives Congress the exclusive power to declare war. One can debate the extent to which presidents can initiate relatively small-scale military actions, and such debates have raged for decades. But this attack is obviously large enough to qualify as a war. Thus, it just as obviously requires congressional authorization. President Donald Trump got no such authorization, nor did he even try. You need not take my word for the proposition that this is a war. Take Trump’s own. He himself has called it a war, and proclaimed that the objective is regime change.” (03/05/26)
https://thedispatch.com/debates/donald-trump-iran-war-constitution-congress/
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22) Thune and Johnson: A Tale of Two Orphans
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L. Knapp
“In The Joy of Yiddish, Leo Rosten defines chutzpah as ‘that quality enshrined in a man who, having killed his mother and father, throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan.’ Ladies and gentlemen, meet US Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and US House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).” (03/05/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20396
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23) MAGA is shitting on our AI lead
Source: Sex and the State
by Cathy Reisenwitz
“There’s no AI doomer who wants China to get the jump on the US when it comes to AI supremacy. At least that I’m aware of. So why did they all either support or remain silent about a guy who is leading a movement that seems Hell-bent on giving China that lead? Explain it to me like I’m five, guys who get paid half a million dollars a year to write about AI for a general audience? Surely I am not the dumbest of the people you need to convince. What does a country need for AI supremacy? 1. A thriving economy 2. World-class talent 3. State-of-the-art technology … The Trump admin is actively taking a giant dookie on all three of America’s advantages in the AI arms race.” (03/05/26)
https://cathyreisenwitz.substack.com/p/maga-is-shitting-on-our-ai-lead
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24) Donald Trump’s Unjust and Unconstitutional War
Source: Antiwar.com
by Andrew P Napolitano
“Over the past weekend, some apologists for President Donald Trump’s recently ordered attacks on Iran argued that because Trump’s plans call for a quick strike, the attacks do not constitute a war. George Orwell is vindicated yet again. These apologists believe that calling a war something else means it is not a war, and so moral and constitutional justifications are unnecessary. No rational observer looking at 2,000-pound bombs being dropped on military targets and thousands of missiles being fired indiscriminately at both civilians and military personnel in Iran can conclude that these events constitute anything but a war. That recognition triggers a series of analyses — moral, constitutional and legal.” (03/05/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2026/03/04/trumps-unjust-and-unconstitutional-war
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25) Vance Puts MAGA Ideology Above All Else
Source: The UnPopulist
by Berny Belvedere
“JD Vance embodies MAGA’s corrosiveness. His wife, Usha, is the daughter of immigrants and a practicing Hindu. They have mixed-race children and a mixed-religion family. As Dalmia noted, Vance’s trajectory should have led him to embrace a Reaganesque vision of a shining city on a hill — his biographical background and intellectual formation should have made him a natural fit for a responsible conservatism that treats pluralism as a feature rather than a threat. Instead, Vance has gone in the complete opposite direction. He is positioning himself as the leading figure in an administration mercilessly kicking out of the country people like his wife and children by trying to build a coalition represented by every faction of the neo-right, no matter how reactionary.” (03/05/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/vance-puts-maga-ideology-above-all
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26) The US War Machine Is Run By Deranged Armageddon Cultists
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Secretary of War Pete Hegseth gave one of his signature ‘I don’t have a small penis’ tirades at the Pentagon on Wednesday, ranting and raving about the big, powerful, masculine war machinery that’s currently raining death and destruction upon the people of Iran. ‘We will fly all day, all night, day and night finding, fixing and finishing the missiles and defense industrial base of the Iranian military, finding and fixing their leaders and their military leaders, flying over Tehran, flying over Iran, flying over their capital, flying over the IRGC, Iranian leaders looking up and seeing only US and Israeli air power every minute of every day until we decide it’s over,’ Hegseth bloviated, saying there will be ‘B-2s, B-52s, B-1s, Predator drones, fighters controlling the skies, picking targets, death and destruction from the sky all day long.'” (03/06/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/03/06/the-us-war-machine-is-run-by-deranged-armageddon-cultists/
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27) Trump’s Iran War Is Grounds for Impeachment, According to the Constitution
Source: Independent Institute
by William J Watkins, Jr.
“The Founding Fathers rejected the European model. Our first charter of union, the Articles of Confederation, lodged all executive functions in Congress. Under the Articles, Congress possessed ‘the sole and exclusive right of determining on peace and war.’ The thirteen sovereign states were forbidden to engage in hostilities except in cases of invasion or imminent attack. So, what would the Founders think of President Donald Trump’s war on Iran? They would assume we have abandoned the U.S. Constitution and opted for the European model they rejected.” (03/05/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/03/05/trumps-iran-war-is-grounds-for-impeachment-according-to-the-constitution/
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28) Trump’s war of choice in Iran isn’t putting “America First”
Source: Orange County Register
by the editorial board
“Setting aside any potential merits to war with Iran, part of the preparation should’ve included seeking explicit authorization from Congress. That would’ve allowed the American people, through their representatives, to decide whether it made sense to sacrifice American lives and American tax dollars on yet another regime change war. Instead, the president chose to initiate a conflict that has already claimed the lives of Americans and civilians, including hundreds of deaths at an Iranian girls’ school. These are not the outcomes Americans expected when electing the ‘anti-war’ president.” (03/05/26)
https://www.ocregister.com/2026/03/05/editorial-trumps-war-of-choice-in-iran-isnt-putting-america-first/
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29) Five Things to Know About Trump’s Illegal War on Iran
Source: OtherWords
by Khury Petersen-Smith
“The Trump administration has joined Israel in launching large-scale attacks across Iran. The strikes mark the beginning of ‘major combat operations’, according to President Donald Trump, and in response Tehran has reportedly launched retaliatory attacks in Middle Eastern countries that host US military bases. With hundreds of Iranians already killed and the war threatening to spiral out of control, here are five things Americans need to know: 1) Trump says he’s trying to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, but it’s the United States and its allies that are the greatest nuclear threat. … 2) Trump is contributing to the suffering of ordinary Iranians, not rescuing them. … 3) The United States is an unreliable negotiator. … 4) The United States has been threatening Iran, not the other way around. … 5) Trump’s war with Iran [is] unpopular with Americans.” [editor’s note: I leave it to the readers to sort the facts out of this screed – SAT] (03/05/26)
https://otherwords.org/five-things-americans-need-to-know-about-the-u-s-and-iran/
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30) The Pretty/True 2×2
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“I’ve written dozens of posts about Social Desirability Bias. Social Desirability Bias is the key psychological building block of my new book. When asked to succinctly explain Social Desirability Bias, my standard slogan is: ‘When the truth is ugly, people lie.’ This would be unexciting, however, unless some truths were, in fact, ugly. Which they totally are. For example: * Some children are stupid. * Some workers are lazy. * Some decorated veterans are racist. * Most human beings are unwilling to die for their countries. * God is rarely the most important thing in anyone’s life. Examples of ugly truths are so easy to mass produce that it’s easy to conclude that truth and ugliness go hand in hand. But it’s equally easy to mass produce pretty truths.” (03/05/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/the-prettytrue-2×2
-----
31) Why progressives’ single-payer health care dream would bankrupt California
Source: New York Post
by Sally C Pipes
“California progressives’ single-payer health care fever dream is back. This time, the cost could hit half a trillion dollars a year. Single-payer means the government pays, for everything. Several candidates for governor are promising just such a government takeover of the state’s health insurance system. Billionaire Tom Steyer says, ‘Bernie Sanders was right. We need single-payer health care’. His campaign ads place a single-payer system at the center of his agenda. Betty Yee, Xavier Becerra, and Tony Thurmond are on board, too. Meanwhile, California State Assemblyman Ash Kalra, D-San Jose, has reintroduced legislation to create ‘CalCare’ (a bid to bulldoze private health insurance and replace it with a state-run health insurance monopoly). These are bold plans. They’re also complete fantasy. The California Legislative Analyst’s Office previously pegged the annual cost of CalCare at up to $552 billion — more than the entire state budget.” (03/04/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/03/04/opinion/single-payer-health-care-would-bankrupt-california/
-----
32) On Iran, Spain’s Sanchez rises above the bowed heads of Europe
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Eldar Mamedov
“While most European leaders have responded to the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran with condemnations of the Iranian regime and tepid calls for “de-escalation” designed not to offend Washington, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has unequivocally condemned the war on Iran as a breach of international law. Contrast that with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz who chose to insist at the war’s outset that ‘this is not the time to lecture our partners and allies’ about potential violations of international law. Meanwhile the the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer went to considerable lengths trying to have it both ways …” (03/05/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/spain-trump-iran/
-----
33) US Media Only Care About Iranian Deaths When They Serve the Imperial Narrative
Source: Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
by Belen Fernandez
“The United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, propelling the entire region into a predictable cataclysm of unprecedented proportions. This puts paid to the alleged ‘peacemaking’ project of US President Donald Trump, who was supposed to be keeping the country out of international wars rather than actively seeking to expedite the end of the world. The attacks put an abrupt end to the negotiations underway between the US and Iran—to the delight of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has always viewed as anathema anything remotely resembling diplomacy or the pursuit of peace. Three days before the joint strikes, a Politico exclusive (2/25/26) reported that ‘senior advisers’ to Trump ‘would prefer Israel strike Iran before the United States launches an assault on the country’.”
https://fair.org/home/us-media-mostly-care-for-iranians-when-they-can-be-used-to-justify-bombing/
-----
34) Anti Social Media
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Mark Nayler
“The global debate surrounding age restrictions on social media is now focused on one issue: whether interventionist governments or omnipotent tech barons pose the biggest threat to freedom and democracy. There’s exaggeration on both sides, but the vague scope of Spain’s social media ban is cause for concern, as is the culture of impunity that seems to envelop tech billionaires — although there are signs that that’s changing.” (03/05/26)
https://fee.org/articles/anti-social-media/
-----
35) Anthropic vs. The Pentagon: AI Ethics Collide With Government Power
Source: The Daily Economy
by Walter Donway
“Can the Pentagon blacklist an American business for refusing to build killbots? The federal government demands tight controls for you, but wants unrestricted power for itself.” (03/05/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/anthropic-vs-the-pentagon-ai-ethics-collide-with-government-power/
-----
36) Demography Isn’t Destiny
Source: Law & Liberty
by Jeffery Degner & Julia R Cartwright
“Falling birth rates have governments worldwide in a state of panic. From Brussels to Tokyo to Beijing, policymakers are scrambling to reverse fertility decline, yet expensive pro-natal programs in countries such as South Korea and Hungary have delivered little results. To be clear, serious analysts do not claim that population decline mechanically produces economic collapse. But demographic aging does create real fiscal, labor-market, and growth headwinds. The more productive question is not whether demography matters, but which policy frameworks allow societies to adapt successfully to it.” (03/05/26)
https://lawliberty.org/demography-isnt-destiny/
-----
37) Trump’s Way of War
Source: Town Hall
by Victor Davis Hanson
“War is the use of arms to settle differences – tribal, political, religious, cultural, and material – between organized groups. It is unchanging. The general laws of armed conflict stays immutable, given the constancy of human nature. However, the manner in which war is conducted remains fluid. New weapons, tactics, and strategies elicit counterresponses in an endless cycle of tensions between defensive and offensive superiority. That said, has President Donald Trump introduced a novel way of waging Western war against America’s foreign enemies? We saw glimpses of it during his first term, when he eliminated Iranian general and terrorist kingpin Qassem Soleimani and ISIS terrorist grandee Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In the former case, he preferred hitting the cause rather than the effects of Iranian terrorism in Syria and Iraq, while making it clear that he had no intention of striking the Iranian mainland and entering into a tit-for-tat ‘forever war’.” (03/04/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/victordavishanson/2026/03/05/trumps-way-of-war-n2672353
-----
38) Why Adam Smith Disdained the British Empire
Source: Washington Post
by Nick Bunker
“In March 1776, while the redcoats remained under siege in Boston, a torrent of copy about the colonies continued to flow from the printing press in London. Every notable British writer felt obliged to take a stand for or against the American cause and on the rights and wrongs of war. On March 9, there appeared the weightiest contribution of all …. It was ‘An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations,’ by Scottish polymath Adam Smith. … Europe’s empires in America had their origins, Smith wrote, in ‘folly and injustice,’ the thirst for gold that led the conquistadors to Mexico and Peru. Smith thought British colonies to be the best of a bad lot, ‘only somewhat less illiberal and oppressive than that of any of the rest.'” (03/05/26)
https://archive.is/Ej09e
-----
39) Small Fires Everywhere: The Wages of Boomer Foreign Policy
Source: The American Conservative
by Justin Logan
“aby Boomers should be remembered in domestic terms for enervating the U.S. economy with Total Boomer Luxury Communism. That generation vacuumed up current and future revenues to fund their luxe retirements, while young people struggle to find good jobs and homes while staring down a desolate future of debt and constraints. President Donald Trump’s foreign policy is very much a Boomer foreign policy, and in a similar sense. The second Trump administration has lit small fires across the world and let them burn, while accruing the costs of putting them out well into the future.” (03/05/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/small-fires-everywhere-the-wages-of-boomer-foreign-policy/
-----
40) Three Reasons Why Trump’s Math on Drug Boat Bombings Doesn’t Add Up
Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum
“Every time the U.S. military blows up a suspected drug boat, President Donald Trump claims, it saves ‘25,000 American lives.’ As of late January, Trump’s deadly campaign against cocaine couriers had destroyed 37 vessels in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, killing 126 people. According to Trump’s math, he had already prevented 925,000 U.S. drug deaths — 11 times the total recorded in 2024. Although Trump has repeatedly touted that improbable estimate, the basis for it remains fuzzy. But it seems to derive from several empirical and logical errors.” (03/05/26)
https://reason.com/2026/03/05/trump-math-is-a-drug-fueled-fantasy/
-----
41) Act Now to Defend Our Republic!
Source: Common Dreams
by Alan Minsky & Mike Hersh
“President Donald Trump’s illegal, unconstitutional war on Iran is not only a moral and humanitarian disaster, but also the latest assault on our way of life. Trump and his enablers count on us to endure their ever escalating egregious abuses of power that imperil our democracy, potentially fatally. We must prove them wrong. We can and must overcome these clear and present threats to our lives, liberty, and way of life. Our Constitution cannot defend or protect itself. Not when Trump and his administration keep violating their oath to defend and protect it. It’s up to us to do that. We the People must not fail to meet this crisis. We must not let these abuses of power go unchecked. The Congress and the American people must hold Trump and all those complicit in the Trump administration accountable for their escalating attacks on the rule of law.” (03/05/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/defend-republic-from-trump
-----
42) The Other War Next Door: Pakistan vs. Afghanistan
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen
“This flare-up, rooted in disputes over border security, militant safe havens, and the contested Durand Line, has resulted in hundreds of casualties on both sides, with Pakistan claiming to have killed over three hundred Taliban fighters and affiliated militants, while Afghanistan reports significant Pakistani losses. The conflict threatens to destabilize an already fragile region, drawing in broader geopolitical forces and underscoring the perils of unresolved historical grievances in South Asia.” (03/05/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-other-war-next-door-pakistan-vs-afghanistan
-----
43) How Poland Became One of Europe’s Best-Performing Economies
Source: Cobden Centre
by Mohamed Moutii
“For much of the past decade, Europe has been weighed down by prolonged economic stagnation. Growth has slowed, productivity has stalled, and even the continent’s largest economies — Germany and France among them — have struggled to regain momentum. Yet amid this malaise, one large European economy has been moving decisively in the opposite direction.” (03/05/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/03/how-poland-became-one-of-europes-best-performing-economies/
-----
44) Make Year-Long Standard Time the Nationwide Standard Again
Source: Independent Institute
by William F Shughart II
“I’m one of the many Americans who hate being forced to time-shift twice a year. After only four months on standard time, daylight saving time returns with a vengeance on Sunday, March 8, when 2 a.m. abruptly becomes 3 a.m. Only residents of Arizona (with the exception of those living on the land reserved for the Navajo Nation, which is compelled to follow Washington’s timekeeping edicts), Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and other outlying U.S. territories will not have their body clocks jolted by time suddenly ‘springing forward’ one hour. Public opinion has been slowly turning against the twice-yearly ritual of moving the clock hands forward and backward. The main question nowadays is, what is to be done, policy-wise?” (03/04/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/03/04/make-year-long-standard-time-permanent/
-----
45) America is at war, but Americans didn’t vote for it
Source: Fox News
by US Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)
“Once war begins and American soldiers are under fire, a rational discussion of the pros and cons of war becomes nearly impossible. That is exactly why our Founders wrote a Constitution that demands a debate before the initiation of war. But there was no debate in Congress, let alone a vote. On Feb. 28, Americans awoke to discover that their country was once again embroiled in a war in the Middle East. Americans were not asked if they would bear the burdens of war. Instead, the American people were told, through a presidential eight-minute video posted around 2:30 in the morning, that the country was, once again, at war. And because there was no national discussion about going to war, we do not know whether ground troops will be used. We have no idea how long the war will last. We have no idea who will lead Iran after the death of the supreme leader.” (03/05/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/sen-rand-paul-america-war-but-americans-didnt-vote
-----
46) Peace sells
Source: Semafor
by David Weigel
“It used to be so much easier to sell a war of choice. Bill Clinton mobilized troops for NATO’s mission to bomb Yugoslavia, and around three in five Americans approved. George W. Bush announced Operation Iraqi Freedom; more than 70% of adults went along with it. Americans were war-wearier in 2011, after electing the only presidential candidate who’d promised to get out of Iraq. But half of them heard Barack Obama endorse a no-fly zone over Libya and said: Why not? Operation Epic Fury doesn’t get that benefit of the doubt. If you’re old enough to remember the Iraq War build-up, a year-long sales job that it became ‘unpatriotic’ to question, the lack of any real presidential persuasion effort has been surreal.” (03/04/26)
https://www.semafor.com/article/03/04/2026/peace-sells
-----
47) My Weightlifting Heresy or How I Became a Bolshevik
Source: JimBovard.com
by James Bovard
“At 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, President Trump posted a home video announcing that he was declaring war on Iran. Many Americans were shocked at the news in part because the Constitution requires congressional approval for taking the nation to war. In the weeks before the attack, the Pentagon press office helped distract public attention by promoting exercise videos. In his State of the Union speech last week, President Trump proclaimed: ‘Our military is stacked!’ Exhibit A for ‘stacked’ is a new video showing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reportedly bench-pressing 315 pounds. Hegseth is the type of lifter who keeps grunting long after he finishes a lift. … I quipped on Facebook: ‘I bench-pressed that much when I was in high school. Guys past the age of 30 who fixate on their bench press totals tend to avoid mental heavy lifting.’ Hell hath no fury like hypersensitive weightlifters.” (03/04/26)
https://jimbovard.com/blog/2026/03/04/my-weightlifting-heresy-or-how-i-became-a-bolshevik/
-----
48) Iraq Did Happen
Source: The American Conservative
by W James Antle III
“Twitter, or X, did not exist when the United States invaded Iraq in March 2003. But a quick perusal of the popular social media website in the 48 hours following the latest U.S. bombing campaign in Iran was like opening a time capsule from 23 years ago and watching all the hawkish talking points spill out. Not long ago, it seemed as if the failure of the Iraq War had become a rare point of bipartisan consensus in our age of deeply polarized politics. The improbable leader who helped forge that consensus — or, perhaps more accurately, encouraged Republicans finally to join it — was Donald Trump.” (03/04/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/iraq-did-happen/
-----
49) Time to End the American-Israeli Alliance
Source: The American Prospect
by Ryan Cooper
“If Secretary of State Marco Rubio is to be believed, Israel basically buffaloed the Trump administration into starting a war with Iran. ‘We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action,’ he told reporters recently. ‘Obviously, we were aware of Israeli intentions and understood what that would mean for us, and we had to be prepared to act as a result of it.’ That doesn’t excuse Trump’s decision, of course, but it is a plausible read of the situation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu basically said as much: ‘This coalition of forces allows us to do what I have yearned to do for 40 years.’ And as I have previously written, only an Israeli goal of turning Iran into a failed state can explain their repeated assassination of any figure who could possibly consolidate the reins of power.” (03/05/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/03/05/israel-america-alliance-iran-war-trump-rubio-netanyahu/
-----
50) Stuck in Another Disastrous Middle East War
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
by Ron Paul
“Unfortunately, President Trump listened to the neocons and Benjamin Netanyahu instead of his MAGA base and other voices of caution as he launched a surprise attack on Iran over the weekend. For the second time in nine months, the US Administration used negotiations with Iran as a cover to launch a pre-planned attack.” (03/04/26)
http://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/stuck-in-another-disastrous-middle-east-war
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 03/05/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Panic Sets In As Iran War Expanding.” (03/05/26)
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1pKdRbDknXyJW
-----
52) TAC Right Now, 03/05/26
Source: The American Conservative
“The Iran Catastrophe.” (03/05/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/tac-right-now-the-iran-catastrophe/
-----
53) The Libertarian Angle, 03/05/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“Trump’s War on Iran.” (03/05/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIKDJSWw1EI
-----
54) Underthrow Podcast, 03/05/26
Source: Underthrow
“The Economy, the Fed, and the Coming AI Renaissance.” (03/05/26)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/the-economy-the-fed-and-the-coming
-----
55) The Political Orphanage, 03/05/26
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Undeclared Wars.” (03/05/26)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/undeclared-wars
-----
56) The Fifth Column, episode 547
Source: The Fifth Column
“Iran and the Fog of Regime Change (w/Hooman Majd).” (03/05/26)
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/iran-and-the-fog-of-regime-change
-----
57) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 03/05/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“US and Israel Kill Over 1,000 Civilians in Iran, Trump Wants $50 Billion for iran War, and More.” (03/05/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwIcfb-GC2k
-----
58) Kibbe on Liberty, episode 375
Source: Free the People
“Will ‘Discombobulator’ Be Used On Americans?” (03/04/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Or8SCUEK5Q
-----
59) Daniel Davis on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Daniel Davis joined the show for a quick rundown on the war Trump just launched on Iran. He and Scott talk about what’s happened so far and where things may go from here.” (03/04/26)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/3-3-26-daniel-davis-on-trumps-dangerous-new-war-with-iran/
-----
60) Declare Your Independence with Ernest Hancock, 03/04/26
Source: Freedom’s Phoenix
“Jeff Berwick (Anarchapulco, The Dollar Vigilante, TZLA) gives a re-cap on Anarchpulco, TZLA Plasma Healing Machine, cartel chaoa/Puerto Vallarta/propaganda psyop, etc.” (03/04/26)
https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Media/392143-2026-03-04-2026-03-04-ernest-hancock-interviews-jeff-berwick-anarchapulco-the.htm
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Iranian drones target Tel Aviv as Israeli forces attack Tehran, Beirut
2) “ICE Barbie” out as top heimatschutz shot-caller
3) Cuba hit by widespread blackout; Ecuador expels Havana’s ambassador, staff
4) US DOJ publishes documents with sexual assault allegations against Trump
5) US state regimes sue over new tariffs
6) France: Appeals Court Lowers Charges Against Police Officer Facing Trial for Murder of Teenager
7) US Home Relistings Hit Record High In January
8) Sea levels much higher than previously thought due to “methodological blind spot,” study finds
9) US jobless claims filings unchanged from previous week at 213,000 as layoffs remain low
10) Lebanon: Israeli invaders demand mass evacuation of Beirut’s southern suburbs
11) Nepalis vote in first election since Gen Z uprising for change
12) House committee subpoenas Bondi to testify on her mishandling of the Epstein case
13) TX: Democrat James Talarico’s weird “white skin” social media post earns GOP wrath
14) Federal judge reminds DeSantis he didn’t get elected president
15) NASA: No chance asteroid will slam into the moon in 2032
16) Musk takes witness stand in trial over Twitter takeover
17) China: Regime sets lowest economic growth target since 1991
18) Mexico: Court Orders Army to Hand in Missing Documents on Students That Disappeared
19) Honduras: Regime weighs shift in China-Taiwan ties as Trump pushes for US dominance in Latin America
20) Michael Jackson accused of child sex trafficking in new lawsuit
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Why Donald Trump’s Iran War Is Unconstitutional
22) Thune and Johnson: A Tale of Two Orphans
23) MAGA is shitting on our AI lead
24) Donald Trump’s Unjust and Unconstitutional War
25) Vance Puts MAGA Ideology Above All Else
26) The US War Machine Is Run By Deranged Armageddon Cultists
27) Trump’s Iran War Is Grounds for Impeachment, According to the Constitution
28) Trump’s war of choice in Iran isn’t putting “America First”
29) Five Things to Know About Trump’s Illegal War on Iran
30) The Pretty/True 2×2
31) Why progressives’ single-payer health care dream would bankrupt California
32) On Iran, Spain’s Sanchez rises above the bowed heads of Europe
33) US Media Only Care About Iranian Deaths When They Serve the Imperial Narrative
34) Anti Social Media
35) Anthropic vs. The Pentagon: AI Ethics Collide With Government Power
36) Demography Isn’t Destiny
37) Trump’s Way of War
38) Why Adam Smith Disdained the British Empire
39) Small Fires Everywhere: The Wages of Boomer Foreign Policy
40) Three Reasons Why Trump’s Math on Drug Boat Bombings Doesn’t Add Up
41) Act Now to Defend Our Republic!
42) The Other War Next Door: Pakistan vs. Afghanistan
43) How Poland Became One of Europe’s Best-Performing Economies
44) Make Year-Long Standard Time the Nationwide Standard Again
45) America is at war, but Americans didn’t vote for it
46) Peace sells
47) My Weightlifting Heresy or How I Became a Bolshevik
48) Iraq Did Happen
49) Time to End the American-Israeli Alliance
50) Stuck in Another Disastrous Middle East War
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 03/05/26
52) TAC Right Now, 03/05/26
53) The Libertarian Angle, 03/05/26
54) Underthrow Podcast, 03/05/26
55) The Political Orphanage, 03/05/26
56) The Fifth Column, episode 547
57) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 03/05/26
58) Kibbe on Liberty, episode 375
59) Daniel Davis on The Scott Horton Show
60) Declare Your Independence with Ernest Hancock, 03/04/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Iranian drones target Tel Aviv as Israeli forces attack Tehran, Beirut
Source: New York Times
“The Israeli military said it pounded Hezbollah targets in the densely populated southern suburbs of Beirut early Friday while also pummeling Tehran, after the U.S. military said its campaign was sharply degrading Iran’s ability to retaliate. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps also launched a wave of drones and missiles at targets in Tel Aviv on Friday, according to a statement from the force reported by IRNA, the country’s state news agency. Air-raid sirens went off in the city, and the Israeli military said that it had detected missile launches from Iran.” (03/06/26)
https://archive.is/53kfS
-----
2) “ICE Barbie” out as top heimatschutz shot-caller
Source: Axios
“Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is leaving the department and he will nominate Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) as her replacement, President Trump said Thursday. … Trump said Noem will be ‘moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida.’ He also said Mullin will start on March 31, calling him a ‘A MAGA Warrior’ who ‘truly gets along well with people, and knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Advance our America First Agenda.’ … Noem drew bipartisan fury after accusing Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti and mother Renee Nicole Good of being domestic terrorists after both were [murdered] by federal agents in January. … Half of Americans supported abolishing ICE in an early March YouGov poll, a sign of how much support has eroded for one of Trump’s signature political strengths on Noem’s watch.” (03/05/26)
https://archive.is/bnDH5
-----
3) Cuba hit by widespread blackout; Ecuador expels Havana’s ambassador, staff
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“A power outage has struck most of Cuba, including the capital Havana, the state electric utility said, as the administration of United States President Donald Trump continues its attempts to cripple the Caribbean nation by curtailing vital oil shipments. News of the widespread power outage on Wednesday emerged as the country’s diplomatic relations with Latin American neighbour Ecuador plummeted after the expulsion of Havana’s top envoy and diplomatic staff from the Ecuadorian capital Quito was announced. Cuban state media outlet Cubadebate said the blackout was caused by a fault at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, located about 100km (62 miles) east of Havana, which cut electricity from Pinar del Rio in the far west of the country to the eastern Las Tunas province.” (03/05/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/5/cuba-hit-by-widespread-blackout-ecuador-expels-havanas-ambassador-staff
-----
4) US DOJ publishes documents with sexual assault allegations against Trump
Source: Politico
“The Justice Department posted a trio of FBI interviews with a woman who alleged President Donald Trump sexually assaulted her when she was a young teenager after she was introduced to him by Jeffrey Epstein. The woman’s central allegation, according to FBI summaries of her interviews with investigators, known as FBI 302s, is that Trump hit her after she bit his penis when he attempted to force her to perform oral sex. The three files come as Democrats are investigating whether the department purposefully withheld materials that included sexual assault allegations against Trump.” (03/05/26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/05/donald-trump-epstein-files-allegations-00816123
-----
5) US state regimes sue over new tariffs
Source: NBC News
“Some two dozen states challenged President Donald Trump’s new global tariffs on Thursday, filing a lawsuit over import taxes he imposed after a stinging loss at the Supreme Court. The Democratic attorneys general and governors in the lawsuit argue that Trump is overstepping his power with planned 15% tariffs on much of the world. Trump has said the tariffs are essential to reduce America’s longstanding trade deficits. He imposed duties under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 after the Supreme Court struck down tariffs he imposed last year under an emergency powers law. … The new suit argues that Trump can’t pivot to Section 122 because it was intended to be used only in specific, limited circumstances — not for sweeping import taxes. It also contends the tariffs will drive up costs for states, businesses and consumers.” (03/05/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/20-states-sue-new-tariffs-trump-imposed-supreme-court-loss-rcna261964
-----
6) France: Appeals Court Lowers Charges Against Police Officer Facing Trial for Murder of Teenager
Source: US News & World Report
“A French police officer initially charged with murder in the deadly shooting of a teenager in 2023 will instead stand trial for the lesser charge of voluntary assault leading to death, the Versailles appeals court said on Thursday. Police officer Florian M. had fired at Nahel Merzouk after the latter had failed to comply with an order to stop his car. The seventeen year old had later died from his wounds, sparking violent protests across the country. In 2025, the Nanterre prosecutor’s office said one of two officers under investigation, identified as Florian M., would face the Assize Court of Hauts-de-Seine on charges of murder. Florian M. appealed, and the court lowered the charges on Thursday. … Under French law, voluntary assault leading to death by a person holding state authority carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, compared with up to 30 years for murder.” (03/05/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-03-05/french-appeals-court-lowers-charges-against-police-officer-facing-trial-for-killing-of-teenager
-----
7) US Home Relistings Hit Record High In January
Source: National Mortgage Professional
“A pronounced increase in home relistings suggests U.S. sellers are gearing up for a potentially busier spring housing season, according to a new analysis from Redfin. Nearly 45,000 homes that were taken off the market in 2025 were relisted in January 2026 — the highest January relisting count in records going back to 2016, and equivalent to 3.6 % of all active listings for the month. Relistings occur when a home that was previously taken off the market is listed again after at least 31 days off the market, signaling renewed seller confidence. The surge follows a period in which many sellers withdrew homes rather than accept low offers amid declining demand, high housing costs, and economic uncertainty.” (03/05/26)
https://nationalmortgageprofessional.com/news/home-relistings-hit-record-high-january
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8) Sea levels much higher than previously thought due to “methodological blind spot,” study finds
Source: CBS News
“Rising sea levels caused by climate change may be significantly higher than previously thought, according to a new study, which says a “methodological blind spot” led researchers to underestimate existing coastal water levels. The revelation suggests that higher seas threaten tens of millions more people than scientists and government officials believed, with elevated risks for already vulnerable communities. The new research, published in the journal Nature, reviewed hundreds of scientific studies and hazard assessments, calculating that about 90% of them underestimated baseline coastal water heights by an average of 1 foot. The study found it’s a far more frequent problem in the Global South, the Pacific and Southeast Asia, and less so in Europe and along Atlantic coasts.” (03/05/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sea-levels-higher-methodological-blind-spot-study/
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9) US jobless claims filings unchanged from previous week at 213,000 as layoffs remain low
Source: Seattle Times
“The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week was unchanged from the week before, a sign that layoffs remain at historically low levels. U.S. filings for jobless aid for the week ending Feb. 28 matched the previous week’s 213,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet forecast 215,000 new benefit applications. Filings for unemployment benefits are viewed as a proxy for U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.” (03/05/26)
https://archive.is/LZ15F
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10) Lebanon: Israeli invaders demand mass evacuation of Beirut’s southern suburbs
Source: United Press International
“The Israeli Army on Thursday ordered a mass evacuation of Beirut’s southern suburbs — a main stronghold of Iran-backed Hezbollah — in an unprecedented warning ahead of massive strikes, causing widespread panic among fleeing residents and heavy traffic jams in the capital. Army Arabic spokesman Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee issued the warning for entire densely populated neighborhoods in the southern suburbs — citing Bourj al-Barajneh, Hadath, Haret Hreik and Chiyah — and calling on their residents to immediately leave their homes ahead of potential strikes to save their lives. … Israeli English-language websites quoted Israeli defense officials as saying that the warning precedes what is expected to be a large-scale strike in the area, describing the planned operation as one of the most dramatic developments so far in the fighting along the northern front.” (03/05/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/03/05/lebanon-southern-lebanon-evacuation-israel-attacks/9241772722283/
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11) Nepalis vote in first election since Gen Z uprising for change
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Millions of Nepalis have voted in the country’s first general election since violent youth-led protests toppled the government last September. Corruption, economic stagnation and inequality were the main issues in the vote. They sparked the uprising in which 77 people died, many of them protesters shot by police. The election represents a crossroads for Nepal, pitting the establishment against a new generation of politicians advocating for angry, young Gen Z voters hungry for change. Counting the votes cast for the Nepalese parliament’s 275 seats is expected to take several days, and results are not expected before next week. Nepal’s mountainous terrain makes it slow and difficult to transport ballots, which are tallied by hand.” (03/05/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79550jrye8o
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12) House committee subpoenas Bondi to testify on her mishandling of the Epstein case
Source: Politico
“A House committee voted Wednesday to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify about her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Five Republicans joined with all Democrats in support of a motion to call the nation’s top law enforcement official up to Capitol Hill for questioning, and the motion itself was offered by GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina. It underscores the increasing frustration with Bondi among members of her own party, catalyzed in part by the Epstein saga. The Justice Department did not immediately return a request for comment.” (03/04/26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/04/pam-bondi-subpoena-epstien-00812960
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13) TX: Democrat James Talarico’s weird “white skin” social media post earns GOP wrath
Source: New York Post
“A social media post from James Talarico about his ‘white skin’ giving him ‘immunity’ from the ‘virus of racism’ has left the Democratic US Senate nominee from Texas wide open to attacks from Republicans and other pundits, who attacked his message as ‘peak woke’ and openly racist. GOP Gov. Greg Abbott said the pro-Black Lives Matter post is proof that Talarico ‘is toast’ in the Nov. 3 contest, in which Democrats are seeking to win one of Texas’ two US Senate seats for the first time since 1988. Talarico, a state legislator who triumphed over US Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) in Tuesday’s primary, suggested in an X post on May 8, 2020, that he was as ‘contagious’ as any white American in spreading systemic racism. The message merged the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic with the headline-making murder of Ahmaud Arbery while jogging in Georgia.” (03/05/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/03/05/us-news/democrat-james-talaricos-weird-white-skin-social-media-posts-earns-the-gops-wrath-he-is-toast/
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14) Federal judge reminds DeSantis he didn’t get elected president
Source: NBC News
“A federal judge on Wednesday blocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis'[s] order to classify a prominent Muslim civil rights group as a terrorist organization, calling the Republican’s action ‘a political statement at the expense of others’ constitutional rights.’ U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a preliminary injunction against the governor’s actions related to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR. DeSantis issued an executive order on Dec. 8 calling CAIR a ‘terrorist organization,’ which prevented the organization from ‘receiving any contract, employment, funds or other benefit or privilege.'” (03/05/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/court-says-florida-gov-ron-desantis-cant-call-civil-rights-group-terro-rcna261901
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15) NASA: No chance asteroid will slam into the moon in 2032
Source: SFGate
“NASA issued a welcomed all-clear Thursday, saying there’s now zero chance that asteroid 2024 YR will crash into the moon in 2032. The space agency had been predicting a 4.3% chance of a direct hit. But observations by the Webb Space Telescope in February helped scientists refine the asteroid’s orbit. This new information indicates that the asteroid will miss the moon by 13,200 miles (21,200 kilometers) on Dec. 22, 2032. Discovered at the end of 2024, the asteroid at first looked like it might threaten Earth. Scientists last year ruled out a collision with our planet anytime in the next century, but kept the moon as a possible target. The asteroid is about 200 feet (60 meters) across.” (03/05/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/no-chance-asteroid-will-slam-into-the-moon-in-21957280.php
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16) Musk takes witness stand in trial over Twitter takeover
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“Elon Musk took the stand on Wednesday in a trial brought by Twitter investors, who allege the billionaire committed securities fraud as he was buying the social media company in 2022. The class-action lawsuit alleges Musk agreed to buy Twitter but then waffled for months, attacking the company with the goal of bringing down the stock price to get a better bargain. After contentious legal wrangling, Musk did eventually buy Twitter for $54.20 a share, his original offer, totalling around $44bn. Musk testified on Wednesday that he didn’t realize his attacks on the company, mostly done via tweet on Twitter itself, would lower the company’s stock price or hurt its investors.” (03/04/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/mar/04/elon-musk-twitter-takeover-trial
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17) China: Regime sets lowest economic growth target since 1991
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“China has cut its annual economic growth target to a range of 4.5%-5%, the lowest expansion goal since 1991 as it grapples with challenges both at home and abroad. It is the first time the target has been lowered since it was cut to ‘around 5%’ in 2023. A target was not set in 2020 due to the pandemic. The details were released during China’s biggest political gathering, known as the “two sessions”, alongside the release of some details of the 15th Five Year Plan for the world’s second largest economy. Beijing aims to reshape its economy as it faces issues like weak consumption, a shrinking population, an ongoing property crisis, global trade tensions and an energy crunch due to the Iran war. One China analyst told the BBC that the lower target gives China ‘more room to manage the economy’ without being forced into making huge financial commitments just to hit a precise goal.” (03/05/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqxddwl93qjo
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18) Mexico: Court Orders Army to Hand in Missing Documents on Students That Disappeared
Source: US News & World Report
“A Mexican court ordered the army to hand over long-awaited documents that could advance the landmark investigation into the 2014 disappearance of 43 students in southern Guerrero state at the alleged hands of organized crime and local security forces. The ruling, seen by Reuters on Wednesday, rejected the army’s prior assertion that 853 missing pages of information generated by the CFRI, an army intelligence agency, did not exist, and ordered that these must now be handed over. The government has for over a decade promised to find those responsible for one of the country’s worst human rights atrocities, but no one has been convicted, though over 100 have been arrested and face ongoing prosecutions.” (03/04/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-03-04/mexico-court-orders-army-to-hand-in-missing-documents-on-students-that-disappeared
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19) Honduras: Regime weighs shift in China-Taiwan ties as Trump pushes for US dominance in Latin America
Source: SFGate
“Three years after Honduras parted ways with Taiwan and forged diplomatic ties with China in hope of economic gain, shrimp farmers in the Central American country are in revolt. Their sales to Taiwan fell to a mere $16 million in 2025, down from more than $100 million in 2022, and the Chinese didn’t fill the void as hoped. ‘We were deceived,’ said Javier Amador, executive director of the National Aquaculture Association of Honduras, as he described the promises from former President Xiomara Castro of better opportunities with China when she severed ties with Taiwan and opened an embassy in Beijing in 2023. Nasry Asfura, who was elected president with the backing of President Donald Trump and sworn into office in January, has ordered a review of agreements between Tegucigalpa and Beijing. This has fueled expectations that Honduras will distance itself from China, in line with a Trump administration campaign to reduce Chinese influence and economic clout in Latin America.” (03/05/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/honduras-weighs-shift-in-china-taiwan-ties-as-21956152.php
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20) Michael Jackson accused of child sex trafficking in new lawsuit
Source: NBC News
“Four siblings who were longtime friends of Michael Jackson are accusing the late pop star of being a ‘serial child predator’ who preyed upon then when they were as young as ‘seven or eight’ in a bombshell lawsuit filed last week in California. Edward, Dominic and Aldo Cascio and their sister Marie-Nicole Porte called Jackson a ‘serial child predator’ who, ‘over the course of more than a decade drugged, raped and sexually assaulted each of the plaintiffs,’ according to their complaint in U.S. District Court. The plaintiffs met Jackson through their father, who worked at a hotel that Jackson often stayed at, the lawsuit says. The Michael Jackson Co. and people associated with the estate, trust and production companies attached to Jackson were named as defendants.” (03/04/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/michael-jackson-accused-child-sex-trafficking-new-lawsuit-rcna261730
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Why Donald Trump’s Iran War Is Unconstitutional
Source: The Dispatch
by Ilya Somin
“The large-scale U.S. military attack on Iran (undertaken in collaboration with Israel) is blatantly unconstitutional, even if its wisdom and morality are more debatable. Article I of the Constitution gives Congress the exclusive power to declare war. One can debate the extent to which presidents can initiate relatively small-scale military actions, and such debates have raged for decades. But this attack is obviously large enough to qualify as a war. Thus, it just as obviously requires congressional authorization. President Donald Trump got no such authorization, nor did he even try. You need not take my word for the proposition that this is a war. Take Trump’s own. He himself has called it a war, and proclaimed that the objective is regime change.” (03/05/26)
https://thedispatch.com/debates/donald-trump-iran-war-constitution-congress/
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22) Thune and Johnson: A Tale of Two Orphans
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L. Knapp
“In The Joy of Yiddish, Leo Rosten defines chutzpah as ‘that quality enshrined in a man who, having killed his mother and father, throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan.’ Ladies and gentlemen, meet US Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and US House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).” (03/05/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20396
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23) MAGA is shitting on our AI lead
Source: Sex and the State
by Cathy Reisenwitz
“There’s no AI doomer who wants China to get the jump on the US when it comes to AI supremacy. At least that I’m aware of. So why did they all either support or remain silent about a guy who is leading a movement that seems Hell-bent on giving China that lead? Explain it to me like I’m five, guys who get paid half a million dollars a year to write about AI for a general audience? Surely I am not the dumbest of the people you need to convince. What does a country need for AI supremacy? 1. A thriving economy 2. World-class talent 3. State-of-the-art technology … The Trump admin is actively taking a giant dookie on all three of America’s advantages in the AI arms race.” (03/05/26)
https://cathyreisenwitz.substack.com/p/maga-is-shitting-on-our-ai-lead
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24) Donald Trump’s Unjust and Unconstitutional War
Source: Antiwar.com
by Andrew P Napolitano
“Over the past weekend, some apologists for President Donald Trump’s recently ordered attacks on Iran argued that because Trump’s plans call for a quick strike, the attacks do not constitute a war. George Orwell is vindicated yet again. These apologists believe that calling a war something else means it is not a war, and so moral and constitutional justifications are unnecessary. No rational observer looking at 2,000-pound bombs being dropped on military targets and thousands of missiles being fired indiscriminately at both civilians and military personnel in Iran can conclude that these events constitute anything but a war. That recognition triggers a series of analyses — moral, constitutional and legal.” (03/05/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2026/03/04/trumps-unjust-and-unconstitutional-war
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25) Vance Puts MAGA Ideology Above All Else
Source: The UnPopulist
by Berny Belvedere
“JD Vance embodies MAGA’s corrosiveness. His wife, Usha, is the daughter of immigrants and a practicing Hindu. They have mixed-race children and a mixed-religion family. As Dalmia noted, Vance’s trajectory should have led him to embrace a Reaganesque vision of a shining city on a hill — his biographical background and intellectual formation should have made him a natural fit for a responsible conservatism that treats pluralism as a feature rather than a threat. Instead, Vance has gone in the complete opposite direction. He is positioning himself as the leading figure in an administration mercilessly kicking out of the country people like his wife and children by trying to build a coalition represented by every faction of the neo-right, no matter how reactionary.” (03/05/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/vance-puts-maga-ideology-above-all
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26) The US War Machine Is Run By Deranged Armageddon Cultists
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Secretary of War Pete Hegseth gave one of his signature ‘I don’t have a small penis’ tirades at the Pentagon on Wednesday, ranting and raving about the big, powerful, masculine war machinery that’s currently raining death and destruction upon the people of Iran. ‘We will fly all day, all night, day and night finding, fixing and finishing the missiles and defense industrial base of the Iranian military, finding and fixing their leaders and their military leaders, flying over Tehran, flying over Iran, flying over their capital, flying over the IRGC, Iranian leaders looking up and seeing only US and Israeli air power every minute of every day until we decide it’s over,’ Hegseth bloviated, saying there will be ‘B-2s, B-52s, B-1s, Predator drones, fighters controlling the skies, picking targets, death and destruction from the sky all day long.'” (03/06/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/03/06/the-us-war-machine-is-run-by-deranged-armageddon-cultists/
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27) Trump’s Iran War Is Grounds for Impeachment, According to the Constitution
Source: Independent Institute
by William J Watkins, Jr.
“The Founding Fathers rejected the European model. Our first charter of union, the Articles of Confederation, lodged all executive functions in Congress. Under the Articles, Congress possessed ‘the sole and exclusive right of determining on peace and war.’ The thirteen sovereign states were forbidden to engage in hostilities except in cases of invasion or imminent attack. So, what would the Founders think of President Donald Trump’s war on Iran? They would assume we have abandoned the U.S. Constitution and opted for the European model they rejected.” (03/05/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/03/05/trumps-iran-war-is-grounds-for-impeachment-according-to-the-constitution/
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28) Trump’s war of choice in Iran isn’t putting “America First”
Source: Orange County Register
by the editorial board
“Setting aside any potential merits to war with Iran, part of the preparation should’ve included seeking explicit authorization from Congress. That would’ve allowed the American people, through their representatives, to decide whether it made sense to sacrifice American lives and American tax dollars on yet another regime change war. Instead, the president chose to initiate a conflict that has already claimed the lives of Americans and civilians, including hundreds of deaths at an Iranian girls’ school. These are not the outcomes Americans expected when electing the ‘anti-war’ president.” (03/05/26)
https://www.ocregister.com/2026/03/05/editorial-trumps-war-of-choice-in-iran-isnt-putting-america-first/
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29) Five Things to Know About Trump’s Illegal War on Iran
Source: OtherWords
by Khury Petersen-Smith
“The Trump administration has joined Israel in launching large-scale attacks across Iran. The strikes mark the beginning of ‘major combat operations’, according to President Donald Trump, and in response Tehran has reportedly launched retaliatory attacks in Middle Eastern countries that host US military bases. With hundreds of Iranians already killed and the war threatening to spiral out of control, here are five things Americans need to know: 1) Trump says he’s trying to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, but it’s the United States and its allies that are the greatest nuclear threat. … 2) Trump is contributing to the suffering of ordinary Iranians, not rescuing them. … 3) The United States is an unreliable negotiator. … 4) The United States has been threatening Iran, not the other way around. … 5) Trump’s war with Iran [is] unpopular with Americans.” [editor’s note: I leave it to the readers to sort the facts out of this screed – SAT] (03/05/26)
https://otherwords.org/five-things-americans-need-to-know-about-the-u-s-and-iran/
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30) The Pretty/True 2×2
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“I’ve written dozens of posts about Social Desirability Bias. Social Desirability Bias is the key psychological building block of my new book. When asked to succinctly explain Social Desirability Bias, my standard slogan is: ‘When the truth is ugly, people lie.’ This would be unexciting, however, unless some truths were, in fact, ugly. Which they totally are. For example: * Some children are stupid. * Some workers are lazy. * Some decorated veterans are racist. * Most human beings are unwilling to die for their countries. * God is rarely the most important thing in anyone’s life. Examples of ugly truths are so easy to mass produce that it’s easy to conclude that truth and ugliness go hand in hand. But it’s equally easy to mass produce pretty truths.” (03/05/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/the-prettytrue-2×2
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31) Why progressives’ single-payer health care dream would bankrupt California
Source: New York Post
by Sally C Pipes
“California progressives’ single-payer health care fever dream is back. This time, the cost could hit half a trillion dollars a year. Single-payer means the government pays, for everything. Several candidates for governor are promising just such a government takeover of the state’s health insurance system. Billionaire Tom Steyer says, ‘Bernie Sanders was right. We need single-payer health care’. His campaign ads place a single-payer system at the center of his agenda. Betty Yee, Xavier Becerra, and Tony Thurmond are on board, too. Meanwhile, California State Assemblyman Ash Kalra, D-San Jose, has reintroduced legislation to create ‘CalCare’ (a bid to bulldoze private health insurance and replace it with a state-run health insurance monopoly). These are bold plans. They’re also complete fantasy. The California Legislative Analyst’s Office previously pegged the annual cost of CalCare at up to $552 billion — more than the entire state budget.” (03/04/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/03/04/opinion/single-payer-health-care-would-bankrupt-california/
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32) On Iran, Spain’s Sanchez rises above the bowed heads of Europe
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Eldar Mamedov
“While most European leaders have responded to the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran with condemnations of the Iranian regime and tepid calls for “de-escalation” designed not to offend Washington, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has unequivocally condemned the war on Iran as a breach of international law. Contrast that with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz who chose to insist at the war’s outset that ‘this is not the time to lecture our partners and allies’ about potential violations of international law. Meanwhile the the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer went to considerable lengths trying to have it both ways …” (03/05/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/spain-trump-iran/
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33) US Media Only Care About Iranian Deaths When They Serve the Imperial Narrative
Source: Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
by Belen Fernandez
“The United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, propelling the entire region into a predictable cataclysm of unprecedented proportions. This puts paid to the alleged ‘peacemaking’ project of US President Donald Trump, who was supposed to be keeping the country out of international wars rather than actively seeking to expedite the end of the world. The attacks put an abrupt end to the negotiations underway between the US and Iran—to the delight of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has always viewed as anathema anything remotely resembling diplomacy or the pursuit of peace. Three days before the joint strikes, a Politico exclusive (2/25/26) reported that ‘senior advisers’ to Trump ‘would prefer Israel strike Iran before the United States launches an assault on the country’.”
https://fair.org/home/us-media-mostly-care-for-iranians-when-they-can-be-used-to-justify-bombing/
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34) Anti Social Media
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Mark Nayler
“The global debate surrounding age restrictions on social media is now focused on one issue: whether interventionist governments or omnipotent tech barons pose the biggest threat to freedom and democracy. There’s exaggeration on both sides, but the vague scope of Spain’s social media ban is cause for concern, as is the culture of impunity that seems to envelop tech billionaires — although there are signs that that’s changing.” (03/05/26)
https://fee.org/articles/anti-social-media/
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35) Anthropic vs. The Pentagon: AI Ethics Collide With Government Power
Source: The Daily Economy
by Walter Donway
“Can the Pentagon blacklist an American business for refusing to build killbots? The federal government demands tight controls for you, but wants unrestricted power for itself.” (03/05/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/anthropic-vs-the-pentagon-ai-ethics-collide-with-government-power/
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36) Demography Isn’t Destiny
Source: Law & Liberty
by Jeffery Degner & Julia R Cartwright
“Falling birth rates have governments worldwide in a state of panic. From Brussels to Tokyo to Beijing, policymakers are scrambling to reverse fertility decline, yet expensive pro-natal programs in countries such as South Korea and Hungary have delivered little results. To be clear, serious analysts do not claim that population decline mechanically produces economic collapse. But demographic aging does create real fiscal, labor-market, and growth headwinds. The more productive question is not whether demography matters, but which policy frameworks allow societies to adapt successfully to it.” (03/05/26)
https://lawliberty.org/demography-isnt-destiny/
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37) Trump’s Way of War
Source: Town Hall
by Victor Davis Hanson
“War is the use of arms to settle differences – tribal, political, religious, cultural, and material – between organized groups. It is unchanging. The general laws of armed conflict stays immutable, given the constancy of human nature. However, the manner in which war is conducted remains fluid. New weapons, tactics, and strategies elicit counterresponses in an endless cycle of tensions between defensive and offensive superiority. That said, has President Donald Trump introduced a novel way of waging Western war against America’s foreign enemies? We saw glimpses of it during his first term, when he eliminated Iranian general and terrorist kingpin Qassem Soleimani and ISIS terrorist grandee Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In the former case, he preferred hitting the cause rather than the effects of Iranian terrorism in Syria and Iraq, while making it clear that he had no intention of striking the Iranian mainland and entering into a tit-for-tat ‘forever war’.” (03/04/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/victordavishanson/2026/03/05/trumps-way-of-war-n2672353
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38) Why Adam Smith Disdained the British Empire
Source: Washington Post
by Nick Bunker
“In March 1776, while the redcoats remained under siege in Boston, a torrent of copy about the colonies continued to flow from the printing press in London. Every notable British writer felt obliged to take a stand for or against the American cause and on the rights and wrongs of war. On March 9, there appeared the weightiest contribution of all …. It was ‘An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations,’ by Scottish polymath Adam Smith. … Europe’s empires in America had their origins, Smith wrote, in ‘folly and injustice,’ the thirst for gold that led the conquistadors to Mexico and Peru. Smith thought British colonies to be the best of a bad lot, ‘only somewhat less illiberal and oppressive than that of any of the rest.'” (03/05/26)
https://archive.is/Ej09e
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39) Small Fires Everywhere: The Wages of Boomer Foreign Policy
Source: The American Conservative
by Justin Logan
“aby Boomers should be remembered in domestic terms for enervating the U.S. economy with Total Boomer Luxury Communism. That generation vacuumed up current and future revenues to fund their luxe retirements, while young people struggle to find good jobs and homes while staring down a desolate future of debt and constraints. President Donald Trump’s foreign policy is very much a Boomer foreign policy, and in a similar sense. The second Trump administration has lit small fires across the world and let them burn, while accruing the costs of putting them out well into the future.” (03/05/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/small-fires-everywhere-the-wages-of-boomer-foreign-policy/
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40) Three Reasons Why Trump’s Math on Drug Boat Bombings Doesn’t Add Up
Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum
“Every time the U.S. military blows up a suspected drug boat, President Donald Trump claims, it saves ‘25,000 American lives.’ As of late January, Trump’s deadly campaign against cocaine couriers had destroyed 37 vessels in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, killing 126 people. According to Trump’s math, he had already prevented 925,000 U.S. drug deaths — 11 times the total recorded in 2024. Although Trump has repeatedly touted that improbable estimate, the basis for it remains fuzzy. But it seems to derive from several empirical and logical errors.” (03/05/26)
https://reason.com/2026/03/05/trump-math-is-a-drug-fueled-fantasy/
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41) Act Now to Defend Our Republic!
Source: Common Dreams
by Alan Minsky & Mike Hersh
“President Donald Trump’s illegal, unconstitutional war on Iran is not only a moral and humanitarian disaster, but also the latest assault on our way of life. Trump and his enablers count on us to endure their ever escalating egregious abuses of power that imperil our democracy, potentially fatally. We must prove them wrong. We can and must overcome these clear and present threats to our lives, liberty, and way of life. Our Constitution cannot defend or protect itself. Not when Trump and his administration keep violating their oath to defend and protect it. It’s up to us to do that. We the People must not fail to meet this crisis. We must not let these abuses of power go unchecked. The Congress and the American people must hold Trump and all those complicit in the Trump administration accountable for their escalating attacks on the rule of law.” (03/05/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/defend-republic-from-trump
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42) The Other War Next Door: Pakistan vs. Afghanistan
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen
“This flare-up, rooted in disputes over border security, militant safe havens, and the contested Durand Line, has resulted in hundreds of casualties on both sides, with Pakistan claiming to have killed over three hundred Taliban fighters and affiliated militants, while Afghanistan reports significant Pakistani losses. The conflict threatens to destabilize an already fragile region, drawing in broader geopolitical forces and underscoring the perils of unresolved historical grievances in South Asia.” (03/05/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-other-war-next-door-pakistan-vs-afghanistan
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43) How Poland Became One of Europe’s Best-Performing Economies
Source: Cobden Centre
by Mohamed Moutii
“For much of the past decade, Europe has been weighed down by prolonged economic stagnation. Growth has slowed, productivity has stalled, and even the continent’s largest economies — Germany and France among them — have struggled to regain momentum. Yet amid this malaise, one large European economy has been moving decisively in the opposite direction.” (03/05/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/03/how-poland-became-one-of-europes-best-performing-economies/
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44) Make Year-Long Standard Time the Nationwide Standard Again
Source: Independent Institute
by William F Shughart II
“I’m one of the many Americans who hate being forced to time-shift twice a year. After only four months on standard time, daylight saving time returns with a vengeance on Sunday, March 8, when 2 a.m. abruptly becomes 3 a.m. Only residents of Arizona (with the exception of those living on the land reserved for the Navajo Nation, which is compelled to follow Washington’s timekeeping edicts), Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and other outlying U.S. territories will not have their body clocks jolted by time suddenly ‘springing forward’ one hour. Public opinion has been slowly turning against the twice-yearly ritual of moving the clock hands forward and backward. The main question nowadays is, what is to be done, policy-wise?” (03/04/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/03/04/make-year-long-standard-time-permanent/
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45) America is at war, but Americans didn’t vote for it
Source: Fox News
by US Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)
“Once war begins and American soldiers are under fire, a rational discussion of the pros and cons of war becomes nearly impossible. That is exactly why our Founders wrote a Constitution that demands a debate before the initiation of war. But there was no debate in Congress, let alone a vote. On Feb. 28, Americans awoke to discover that their country was once again embroiled in a war in the Middle East. Americans were not asked if they would bear the burdens of war. Instead, the American people were told, through a presidential eight-minute video posted around 2:30 in the morning, that the country was, once again, at war. And because there was no national discussion about going to war, we do not know whether ground troops will be used. We have no idea how long the war will last. We have no idea who will lead Iran after the death of the supreme leader.” (03/05/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/sen-rand-paul-america-war-but-americans-didnt-vote
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46) Peace sells
Source: Semafor
by David Weigel
“It used to be so much easier to sell a war of choice. Bill Clinton mobilized troops for NATO’s mission to bomb Yugoslavia, and around three in five Americans approved. George W. Bush announced Operation Iraqi Freedom; more than 70% of adults went along with it. Americans were war-wearier in 2011, after electing the only presidential candidate who’d promised to get out of Iraq. But half of them heard Barack Obama endorse a no-fly zone over Libya and said: Why not? Operation Epic Fury doesn’t get that benefit of the doubt. If you’re old enough to remember the Iraq War build-up, a year-long sales job that it became ‘unpatriotic’ to question, the lack of any real presidential persuasion effort has been surreal.” (03/04/26)
https://www.semafor.com/article/03/04/2026/peace-sells
-----
47) My Weightlifting Heresy or How I Became a Bolshevik
Source: JimBovard.com
by James Bovard
“At 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, President Trump posted a home video announcing that he was declaring war on Iran. Many Americans were shocked at the news in part because the Constitution requires congressional approval for taking the nation to war. In the weeks before the attack, the Pentagon press office helped distract public attention by promoting exercise videos. In his State of the Union speech last week, President Trump proclaimed: ‘Our military is stacked!’ Exhibit A for ‘stacked’ is a new video showing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reportedly bench-pressing 315 pounds. Hegseth is the type of lifter who keeps grunting long after he finishes a lift. … I quipped on Facebook: ‘I bench-pressed that much when I was in high school. Guys past the age of 30 who fixate on their bench press totals tend to avoid mental heavy lifting.’ Hell hath no fury like hypersensitive weightlifters.” (03/04/26)
https://jimbovard.com/blog/2026/03/04/my-weightlifting-heresy-or-how-i-became-a-bolshevik/
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48) Iraq Did Happen
Source: The American Conservative
by W James Antle III
“Twitter, or X, did not exist when the United States invaded Iraq in March 2003. But a quick perusal of the popular social media website in the 48 hours following the latest U.S. bombing campaign in Iran was like opening a time capsule from 23 years ago and watching all the hawkish talking points spill out. Not long ago, it seemed as if the failure of the Iraq War had become a rare point of bipartisan consensus in our age of deeply polarized politics. The improbable leader who helped forge that consensus — or, perhaps more accurately, encouraged Republicans finally to join it — was Donald Trump.” (03/04/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/iraq-did-happen/
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49) Time to End the American-Israeli Alliance
Source: The American Prospect
by Ryan Cooper
“If Secretary of State Marco Rubio is to be believed, Israel basically buffaloed the Trump administration into starting a war with Iran. ‘We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action,’ he told reporters recently. ‘Obviously, we were aware of Israeli intentions and understood what that would mean for us, and we had to be prepared to act as a result of it.’ That doesn’t excuse Trump’s decision, of course, but it is a plausible read of the situation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu basically said as much: ‘This coalition of forces allows us to do what I have yearned to do for 40 years.’ And as I have previously written, only an Israeli goal of turning Iran into a failed state can explain their repeated assassination of any figure who could possibly consolidate the reins of power.” (03/05/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/03/05/israel-america-alliance-iran-war-trump-rubio-netanyahu/
-----
50) Stuck in Another Disastrous Middle East War
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
by Ron Paul
“Unfortunately, President Trump listened to the neocons and Benjamin Netanyahu instead of his MAGA base and other voices of caution as he launched a surprise attack on Iran over the weekend. For the second time in nine months, the US Administration used negotiations with Iran as a cover to launch a pre-planned attack.” (03/04/26)
http://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/stuck-in-another-disastrous-middle-east-war
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 03/05/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Panic Sets In As Iran War Expanding.” (03/05/26)
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1pKdRbDknXyJW
-----
52) TAC Right Now, 03/05/26
Source: The American Conservative
“The Iran Catastrophe.” (03/05/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/tac-right-now-the-iran-catastrophe/
-----
53) The Libertarian Angle, 03/05/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“Trump’s War on Iran.” (03/05/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIKDJSWw1EI
-----
54) Underthrow Podcast, 03/05/26
Source: Underthrow
“The Economy, the Fed, and the Coming AI Renaissance.” (03/05/26)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/the-economy-the-fed-and-the-coming
-----
55) The Political Orphanage, 03/05/26
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Undeclared Wars.” (03/05/26)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/undeclared-wars
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56) The Fifth Column, episode 547
Source: The Fifth Column
“Iran and the Fog of Regime Change (w/Hooman Majd).” (03/05/26)
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/iran-and-the-fog-of-regime-change
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57) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 03/05/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“US and Israel Kill Over 1,000 Civilians in Iran, Trump Wants $50 Billion for iran War, and More.” (03/05/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwIcfb-GC2k
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58) Kibbe on Liberty, episode 375
Source: Free the People
“Will ‘Discombobulator’ Be Used On Americans?” (03/04/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Or8SCUEK5Q
-----
59) Daniel Davis on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Daniel Davis joined the show for a quick rundown on the war Trump just launched on Iran. He and Scott talk about what’s happened so far and where things may go from here.” (03/04/26)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/3-3-26-daniel-davis-on-trumps-dangerous-new-war-with-iran/
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60) Declare Your Independence with Ernest Hancock, 03/04/26
Source: Freedom’s Phoenix
“Jeff Berwick (Anarchapulco, The Dollar Vigilante, TZLA) gives a re-cap on Anarchpulco, TZLA Plasma Healing Machine, cartel chaoa/Puerto Vallarta/propaganda psyop, etc.” (03/04/26)
https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Media/392143-2026-03-04-2026-03-04-ernest-hancock-interviews-jeff-berwick-anarchapulco-the.htm
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