2/08 -- Doom, Despair, and Agony on Us (Year-End Fundraiser Update); Thai regime launches airstrikes along disputed border with Cambodia as tensions flare; Murder for Christmas?
4 views
Skip to first unread message
Thomas L. Knapp
Dec 8, 2025, 6:22:48 AM (3 days ago) Dec 8
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 12/08/25
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Presented by the Liberty International
https://liberty-intl.org/
Produced by the staff of Rational Review News Digest
https://news.rationalreview.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's Freedom News:
0) Doom, Despair, and Agony on Us (Year-End Fundraiser Update)
1) Thai regime launches airstrikes along disputed border with Cambodia as tensions flare
2) ETH, ADA, XRP Lead Gains as Bitcoin Edges Higher on Fed Rate Cut Expectations
3) Ukrainian city hit by “massive” strike as peace talks in US conclude
4) Benin: Regime says armed forces foil coup attempt
5) Palestine: Bethlehem’s Christmas tree lights up for first time since Gaza genocide began
6) MA: Acting ICE gang shot-caller, Boston Archdiocese whine about “ICE was here” Nativity sign
7) UN nuclear watchdog: Chernobyl protective shield can no longer confine radiation after drone strik
8) ID: Bar owner faces death threats after viral promo offering free beer for helping ICE gang
9) Judge will release Jeffrey Epstein grand jury documents
10) “Bullshit”: Musk responds to EU regulator’s €120 million bribe demand
11) Dr. Oz warns Walz to address alleged Somali Medicaid fraud or lose federal funding
12) ICC prosecutor says Putin warrant won’t disappear even if Ukraine peace talks are successful
13) Judge rules evidence linked to James Comey’s ally is off limits to DOJ
14) Judge puts a one-year limit on Google’s contracts for default search placement
15) India: Fire at a popular nightclub in Goa state kills at least 25
16) Putin, Modi announce expansion of Russia-India trade ties
17) US DOT waives $11 million Southwest Airlines bribe demand
18) AZ: Congresswoman claims gang members assaulted, pepper sprayed her
19) Japan, Australia urge calm after Chinese radar locks on Japanese jets
20) French navy shoots at five drones buzzing nuclear submarine base
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Murder for Christmas?
22) Venezuela: Eye on the Prize?
23) Our Killing Machines
24) Europe Fires a Speech Warning
25) The last act of the feature film
26) America needs to restore high standards before our schools become completely worthless
27) NATO ambassador: Don’t hate on the sausage before its made
28) Trump Bites the Hand That Voted for Him
29) In Haiti, soccer joy and longed-for unity
30) Strategy and Culture in the Graveyard of Empires
31) Trump’s aggression toward Venezuela a warning to Putin
32) “The Worst of the Worst”
33) Sudan, Venezuela, And Other Notes
34) Socialism Through Regulation
35) Tax Assessor, House-Nabber
36) There Is No “Axis of Authoritarianism”
37) Time for a Midterm Contract With America
38) Implications of Academic Dishonesty
39) The Military As A Murder Weapon
40) Bigger Government Means Bigger Fraud: Minnesota’s Billion-Dollar Lesson in Incentives
41) For Trump, Authoritarian Saudi Arabia Is Good, But Authoritarian Iran & Venezuela Are Bad
42) Why are utilities building tomorrow’s grid with yesterday’s technology?
43) Venezuela, History, and the Futile Quest for Regime Change
44) Europe’s Innovation Is Drowned in a Sea of Government Intervention
45) The War on Pete Hegseth
46) Spain’s Courtroom Politics
47) Home schooling — enemy of government?
48) Housing: Supply vs. Quantity
49) Netflix Aims for Entertainment Domination
50) Washington didn’t cross Delaware to create a theocracy
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Unattended Baggage, episode 320
52) The Good Fight, 12/06/25
53) What America Can Learn From Japanese Housing
54) Serious Trouble, 12/05/25
55) The Dispatch Podcast, 12/05/25
56) The Climate Realism Show, episode 184
57) The Lou Perez Podcast, 12/06/25
58) The Tom Woods Show, episode 2715
59) System Update, episode 554
60) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 12/05/25
vvvvv SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS vvvvv
SHOP ONLINE, COLLECT A REBATE IN BITCOIN!
https://www.lolli.com/share/MZB4cCpheL
THE CONSTITUTION OF NON-STATE GOVERNMENT: FIELD GUIDE TO TEXAS SECESSION, by TL Hulsey
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1947660853
Tyranny Demands AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE: A NOVEL BY ERNE LEWIS
https://tinyurl.com/actofselfdefense
ONE IDENTITY FOR ALL YOUR CRYPTO
https://fioprotocol.io/
SAMUEL EDWARD KONKIN III REVOLUTIONARY FRIEND BY WENDY MCELROY
https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Edward-Konkin-Revolutionary-Friend-ebook/dp/B0DP7B6127
^^^^^ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ^^^^^
_____ Today's Freedom News _____
0) Doom, Despair, and Agony on Us (Year-End Fundraiser Update)
THANK YOU to supporter DB, whose $10 donation over the weekend brings our year-end fundraiser total to $1,433.84!
We're 75% of the way through our only annual fundraiser period, but only 52% of the way to our goal. I don't know if we've ever been this far behind, this late in the game, before.
In order to reach our goal of $5,501, we must raise another $1,316.66. That will get us to the halfway point, after which reader GL has pledged to "match funds" for the other half.
But unless we raise the first half, we don't get the second.
PLEASE SUPPORT THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER AT:
https://news.rationalreview.com/support-rrnd
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily
-----
1) Thai regime launches airstrikes along disputed border with Cambodia as tensions flare
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“Thailand has launched airstrikes along its disputed border with Cambodia after both countries accused each other of breaching a ceasefire deal brokered by Donald Trump. Four Cambodian civilians and at least one Thai soldier have been killed in the renewed clashes, which have forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. Thailand’s military said airstrikes were launched after one of its soldiers was killed and four others wounded in fighting along the countries’ tense border on Monday morning. The Thai air force said it was striking military targets in several areas and accused Cambodia of mobilising heavy weaponry and repositioning combat units. Cambodia’s defence ministry blamed Thailand for the escalation.” (12/08/25)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/08/thailand-airstrikes-disputed-border-cambodia
-----
2) ETH, ADA, XRP Lead Gains as Bitcoin Edges Higher on Fed Rate Cut Expectations
Source: CoinDesk
“Bitcoin traded just above $91,300 on Monday as Asian equities opened the week slightly higher ahead of a heavy run of central bank decisions, including a Federal Reserve meeting where markets have largely priced in a 25-basis-point rate cut. … Crypto markets followed the broader tone. Bitcoin rose 2% over the past 24 hours and is up more than 6% over the past week, extending last week’s rebound but meeting early resistance near the $94,000 area. … Ether gained 3% to trade near $3,135, outperforming most majors on the day and logging a 10.6% advance over the past week. BNB added 1%, Solana rose about 1.6%, Lido’s stETH climbed almost 3%, and XRP traded around $2.08 after a 1.2% uptick. Cardano led declines in the top tier, slipping about 1.4% on the day.” (12/08/25)
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/12/08/eth-ada-xrp-lead-gains-as-bitcoin-edges-higher-on-fed-rate-cut-expectations
-----
3) Ukrainian city hit by “massive” strike as peace talks in US conclude
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Russia continued its air strikes on Ukraine overnight, hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a ‘very constructive’ phone call with Donald Trump’s negotiating team following three days of talks in Florida. Early on Sunday the mayor of Kremenchuk, a major industrial hub in central Ukraine, said the city had been repeatedly struck in a ‘massive’ attack. No deaths have been confirmed so far. Meanwhile, Russia said it had shot down 77 Ukrainian drones in several locations.” (12/07/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz680jx511no
-----
4) Benin: Regime says armed forces foil coup attempt
Source: Reuters
“Benin’s government said on Sunday its armed forces had foiled a coup attempt after a group of soldiers in the West African nation claimed on national television to have seized power. … At least eight soldiers, several wearing helmets, went on state television on Sunday morning to announce that a military committee led by Colonel Tigri Pascal had taken over and was dissolving national institutions, suspending the constitution and closing air, land and maritime borders. … Gunfire could be heard earlier on Sunday in several neighbourhoods of Cotonou, the country’s largest city and economic hub, as residents were trying to make their way to church early on Sunday morning.” (12/07/25)
https://archive.is/6x2oZ
-----
5) Palestine: Bethlehem’s Christmas tree lights up for first time since Gaza genocide began
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“For the first time in two years, the Christmas tree in Bethlehem lit up the night sky, restoring a glimmer of joy to the birthplace of Jesus after seasons overshadowed by Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. Palestinians watching the lighting said the celebration carried a dual meaning: Hope in the Nativity and a yearning for freedom from the Israeli siege gripping Bethlehem and cities across the occupied territory. … This year’s celebrations were limited to religious rituals, attended by church leaders and local officials who stood on a stage in Manger Square for a modest tree-lighting ceremony. Thousands gathered in the square, singing hymns and listening to choirs carolling – the only form of festivity permitted at a time many described as a mix of joy and mourning.” (12/07/25)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/7/bethlehems-christmas-tree-lights-up-after-two-years-of-darkness
-----
6) MA: Acting ICE gang shot-caller, Boston Archdiocese whine about “ICE was here” Nativity sign
Source: Fox News
“ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, as well as the Archdiocese of Boston, are calling for the removal of an ‘ICE was here’ sign that was placed at a Nativity scene at a Massachusetts church. ‘The actions of the activist reverend, Stephen Josoma, are absolutely abhorrent and add to a dangerous narrative responsible for a more than 1,150% increase in assaults on ICE officers,’ Lyons told Fox News Digital in a statement. A Nativity scene at St. Susanna Parish in Dedham, a suburb of Boston, shows an empty manger with a sign reading ‘ICE was here,’ along with contact information for a group that monitors immigration enforcement in Massachusetts. Rev. Stephen Josoma, the pastor at St. Susanna, said the church’s peace and justice group organizes a display annually.” (12/06/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/media/ice-director-boston-archdiocese-demand-ice-here-nativity-removed-from-mass-church
-----
7) UN nuclear watchdog: Chernobyl protective shield can no longer confine radiation after drone strik
Source: CNN
“The protective shield built around the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site in Ukraine can no longer do its job to confine radioactive waste as a result of a drone strike earlier this year, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The New Safe Confinement (NSC) at Chernobyl, which was ‘severely damaged’ by the drone strike in February, has ‘lost its primary safety functions, including the confinement capability,’ the IAEA said in a Friday statement. Ukraine accused Russia of carrying out the February 14 strike at Chernobyl, which the Kremlin denied.” (12/06/25)
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/06/europe/chernobyl-drone-strike-radiation-latam-intl
-----
8) ID: Bar owner faces death threats after viral promo offering free beer for helping ICE gang
Source: Fox News
“Idaho bar owner Mark Fitzpatrick said his saloon has been flooded with both praise and outrage after a promotion offering ‘free beer’ to anyone who helps Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) identify and deport an illegal [sic] immigrant went viral. The Old State Saloon’s promotion, which was posted Nov. 29 on X, was viewed nearly 8 million times. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also reposted it, generating both excitement and online attacks, including threats to burn down the business and kill its outspoken owner.” (12/06/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/us/idaho-bar-owner-faces-death-threats-after-viral-promo-offering-free-beer-assisting-ice
-----
9) Judge will release Jeffrey Epstein grand jury documents
Source: Axios
“A federal judge on Friday ordered the grand jury transcripts in convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s trial be unsealed. The move comes after Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Trump signed in November despite his initial opposition.” (12/05/25)
https://archive.is/NLCTH
-----
10) “Bullshit”: Musk responds to EU regulator’s €120 million bribe demand
Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]
“Elon Musk’s social media company X was fined 120 million euros ($193.3 million Cdn) by EU tech regulators on Friday for breaching online content rules, the first sanction under landmark legislation that once again drew criticism from the U.S. government. While X did not respond to an emailed request for comment, Musk replied ‘Bulls–t’ under a European Commission post about the fine. He also reposted several messages criticizing the decision and wrote, ‘Freedom of speech is the bedrock [of] democracy. The only way to know what you are voting for.’ … EU regulators said X’s DSA violations included the deceptive design of its blue checkmark for verified accounts, the lack of transparency of its advertising repository and its failure to provide researchers access to public data.” (12/05/25)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/elon-musk-x-fine-tech-regulators-9.7004932
-----
11) Dr. Oz warns Walz to address alleged Somali Medicaid fraud or lose federal funding
Source: New York Post
“Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz on Friday warned Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz the state could lose federal Medicaid funding unless it restores ‘the integrity’ of its program. In a post on X, Dr. Oz claimed more than $1 billion had been stolen through a massive Medicaid fraud scheme carried out by ‘bad actors’ within Minnesota’s Somali community, alleging some of the funds ‘may have even made its way to the Somalian terrorist group (al-Shabab).’ ‘Our staff at CMS told me they’ve never seen anything like this in Medicaid — and everyone from Gov. Tim Walz on down needs to be investigated, because they’ve been asleep at the wheel,’ Oz said.” (12/07/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/12/07/us-news/dr-oz-warns-tim-walz-to-address-alleged-somali-medicaid-fraud-or-minnesota-will-lose-federal-funding/
-----
12) ICC prosecutor says Putin warrant won’t disappear even if Ukraine peace talks are successful
Source: ABC News
“The deputy prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said Friday that the court’s investigation into the invasion of Ukraine cannot be halted by peace talks but could be deferred by the U.N. Security Council. ‘If we have an ongoing investigation, then we will follow our own regulatory framework,’ deputy prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan told The Associated Press. … The court has issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and five others over their alleged involvement in war crimes in Ukraine. The Kremlin has repeatedly said that it doesn’t recognize the jurisdiction of the court and considers the warrant null and void.” (12/05/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/icc-prosecutor-putin-warrant-wont-disappear-ukraine-peace-128146049
-----
13) Judge rules evidence linked to James Comey’s ally is off limits to DOJ
Source: Fox News
“A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that certain evidence linked to an ally of former FBI Director James Comey is temporarily off limits to the Justice Department in its efforts to renew a prosecution of the ex-director following the dismissed criminal case. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said the DOJ may not use information pertaining to Daniel Richman. ‘Upon consideration of Petitioner Daniel Richman’s Motion for Temporary Restraining Order, the relevant legal authority, and the entire present record, the Court concludes that Petitioner Richman is entitled to a narrow temporary restraining order to preserve the status quo while the Court evaluates his Motion for Return of Property and awaits full briefing and argument from the parties,’ the ruling reads.” (12/06/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/judge-rules-evidence-linked-james-comeys-ally-off-limits-doj
-----
14) Judge puts a one-year limit on Google’s contracts for default search placement
Source: Engadget
“A federal judge has expanded on the remedies decided for the Department of Justice’s antitrust case against Google, ruling in favor of putting a one-year limit on the contracts that make Google’s search and AI services the default on devices, Bloomberg reports. Judge Amit Mehta’s ruling on Friday means Google will have to renegotiate these contacts every year, which would create a fairer playing field for its competitors. The new details come after Mehta ruled in September that Google would not have to sell off Chrome, as the DOJ proposed at the end of 2024.” (12/06/25)
https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/judge-puts-a-one-year-limit-on-googles-contracts-for-default-search-placement-215549614.html
-----
15) India: Fire at a popular nightclub in Goa state kills at least 25
Source: SFGate
“At least 25 people, including tourists, were killed in a fire at a popular nightclub in India’s Goa state, the state’s chief minister said Sunday. The blaze occurred just past midnight in Arpora in North Goa, a party hub. Goa’s chief minister Pramod Sawant said most of the dead were the club’s kitchen workers, as well as three to four tourists. Six were injured and are in stable condition, he said. The fire occurred due to a gas cylinder blast and has been extinguished, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, quoting local police. All the bodies have been recovered. It said at least 100 people were on the club’s dance floor when the fire broke out and several rushed to the kitchen below in the chaos and got trapped along with staff.” (12/06/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/a-fire-at-a-popular-nightclub-in-india-s-goa-21228016.php
-----
16) Putin, Modi announce expansion of Russia-India trade ties
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
“Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday at an annual summit and agreed to diversify mutual economic ties, as the United States presses India to revise its decades-old partnership with Russia. The 23rd Russia-India Summit comes at a pivotal moment as the U.S. pushes for a Ukraine peace deal while seeking global cooperation. It will test New Delhi’s efforts to balance relations with Moscow and Washington as the nearly four-year war in Ukraine grinds on.” (12/05/25)
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/12/05/india-russia-summit/
-----
17) US DOT waives $11 million Southwest Airlines bribe demand
Source: ABC News
“The U.S. Department of Transportation announced it will waive the remaining $11 million in fines Southwest Airlines owed as part of a record $140 million penalty over its operational meltdown during holiday travel in 2022. ‘In lieu of a payment of an $11 million civil penalty to the government, this order provides Southwest with an $11 million credit for significantly improving its on-time performance and completion factor through its $112.4 million investment in its Network Operations Control (NOC),’ the DOT said in an updated order this week. The DOT said waiving the installment will incentivize airlines to make investments towards improving their operations and resiliency that directly benefits customers.” (12/06/25)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/11m-southwest-airlines-fine-waived-by-dot/ar-AA1RRdQi?ocid=BingNewsBrowse
-----
18) AZ: Congresswoman claims gang members assaulted, pepper sprayed her
Source: Axios
“Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said Friday she was pepper sprayed and ‘pushed around’ by Immigration and Custom Enforcement [gang members] during a raid in her district. The alleged incident follows a series of physical confrontations this year between Democratic lawmakers and federal law enforcement, particularly ICE. … [Gang] spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Grijalva’s claims are ‘not true’ and that ‘she wasn’t pepper sprayed.’ Grijalva said in a video posted to social media that roughly 40 ICE [gang members] raided a taco restaurant in Tucson that she frequents, Taco Giro, while she was present.” (12/05/25)
https://archive.is/BEP53
-----
19) Japan, Australia urge calm after Chinese radar locks on Japanese jets
Source: SFGate
“Japan and Australia urged calm on Sunday after Chinese military aircraft locked radar on Japanese fighter jets, a month after the Japanese leader’s recent remarks on Taiwan that stirred tensions between Tokyo and Beijing. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Japan formally protested the incident, calling it ‘an extremely regrettable act’ and ‘a dangerous one’ that ‘exceeded the scope necessary for safe aircraft operations.’ ‘We have lodged a strong protest with the Chinese side and demanded strict preventive measures,’ Koizumi said. Japan’s Defense Ministry said China’s military aircraft J-15 took off from the Chinese carrier Liaoning near the southern island of Okinawa on Saturday and ‘intermittently’ latched its radar on Japanese F-15 fighter jets on two occasions Saturday, for about three minutes in the late afternoon and for about 30 minutes in the evening.” (12/06/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/japan-protests-after-a-chinese-military-aircraft-21227971.php
-----
20) French navy shoots at five drones buzzing nuclear submarine base
Source: Politico
“The French navy opened fire at drones that were detected over a highly-sensitive military site harboring French nuclear submarines, according to newswire Agence France-Presse. Five drones were detected Thursday night over the submarine base of Île Longue, in Brittany, western France, a strategic military site home to ballistic missile submarines, the AFP reported, citing the the French gendarmerie, which is part of the military. The submarines harbored at the base carry nuclear weapons and are a key part of France’s nuclear deterrent. French navy troops in charge of protecting the base opened fire, the report said. It was unclear whether the drones were shot down.” (12/05/25)
https://www.politico.eu/article/drones-france-nuclear-submarine-base-reports/
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Murder for Christmas?
Source: Antiwar.com
by Andrew P Napolitano
“When Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted a meme of Franklin the Turtle, the amiable child’s cartoon character, in a helicopter using a military weapon to kill people in a small boat below him, and captioned it ‘For your Christmas wish list,’ it understandably caused an uproar. Should the secretary of defense be mocking the people his troops have killed? Should he engage a child’s cartoon character to produce this mockery? Should anyone in his right mind, who professes to understand Christianity, suggest that this killing should be on a child’s Christmas wish list? Should he be killing nonviolent boatpeople? Here is the back story.” (12/05/25)
https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2025/12/04/murder-for-christmas
-----
22) Venezuela: Eye on the Prize?
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“President Donald Trump embarked on a serial murder spree around the Caribbean in September, ordering boats (and people) blown up by US military forces on the pretense that he’s fighting a ‘narco-terrorist cartel’ headed by Maduro (on whose head he’s placed a $50 million bounty). He’s also steadily increased the US military presence in the region, rattling the American saber for ‘regime change’ in Caracas. It’s been tempting, so far, to write Trump’s belligerence off as an attempt to distract from his domestic political failures …. On the other hand, if he’s really going to take the US to war with Venezuela, what better moment — for theatrical and propaganda purposes — to launch a full-scale attack than just as his quisling of choice accepts a ‘peace prize’ in Oslo?” (12/06/25)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20193
-----
23) Our Killing Machines
Source: Pierre Lemieux
by Pierre Lemieux
“In 2019, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, famously wrote: ‘We train our boys to be killing machines, then prosecute them when they kill!’ The ‘boys’ are US soldiers, but who is we and which possessor does our refer to? … The fundamental problem with collectives is this: hidden under any collective are different and distinct individuals. Without starting from this elemental fact, one cannot understand the behavior of the collectives and sub-collectives that can be drawn around individuals. One cannot understand the social consequences of individual actions.” (12/06/25)
https://pierrelemieux.substack.com/p/our-killing-machines
-----
24) Europe Fires a Speech Warning
Source: Racket News
by Matt Taibbi
“The Digital Services Act, the European Commission’s content control law developed across multiple stages dating to the mid-2010s, has finally become fully operational, in Star Wars parlance. Officials announced a long-threatened €120 million (about $140 million) fine of Elon Musk’s X platform, with the major offenses being the use of a ‘deceptive’ check mark program and failure to ‘provide researchers with access to the platform’s public data.’ The fine comes at a strange time. A few weeks ago, the EC began a public campaign of walking back its biggest censorship initiatives, thanks to a growing belief that its stifling regulatory environment was costing Old-World companies a chance to compete for investment in AI technology.” (12/05/25)
https://www.racket.news/p/europe-fires-a-speech-warning
-----
25) The last act of the feature film
Source: Washington Post
by Megan McArdle
“The short story used to be a viable commercial and artistic proposition, until television killed off the pulp magazines. By the 1980s, short stories were more of a loss leader for novel writers (actual or aspiring). Today, the form is mostly the province of tiny literary magazines, and its author usually survives on grants, gigs teaching creative writing and pedestrian day jobs. I’m afraid I expect the feature film to suffer a similar fate, because everything about the medium is optimized for theaters: its visual language, its lavish production budgets and even its length (long enough to be worth leaving the house for, not so long that your butt goes numb). In the future, storytelling will be optimized for streaming into our living rooms — unless, of course, it’s optimized for YouTube and TikTok, or some other technological medium I can’t yet imagine.” (12/06/25)
https://archive.is/faLgV
-----
26) America needs to restore high standards before our schools become completely worthless
Source: New York Post
by staff
“America’s kids are paying a steep price for lower standards and less testing in schools — and there’s no obvious sign of a turnaround. It’s particularly troubling for New York kids, especially as state ‘leaders’ have decided to stop requiring passing scores on Regents exams to graduate high school starting in the 2027-’28 school year. How crucial are hard standards? Well, after colleges (in the benighted name of ‘equity’) stopped requiring SAT or ACT scores as part of the admissions process a few years back, a host of high schools evidently stopped teaching the skills needed to do well on such tests — even though such skills are vital to getting through college, and life. Kids who are unprepared don’t face consequences until it’s too late — i.e., when they’re already in college and struggling to do the work expected of them.” (12/06/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/12/06/opinion/alarming-signs-kids-are-paying-a-steep-price-for-low-standards-and-less-testing-in-schools/
-----
27) NATO ambassador: Don’t hate on the sausage before its made
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Kelley Beaucar Vlahos
“Europeans at the Doha Forum in Qatar were quite clear in their disdain for President Donald Trump’s National Security Strategy and his peace plan for Ukraine, but his ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker came out swinging in favor of both, unabashedly telling an audience Saturday that U.S. partners need to step up if they want continued support from Washington and not to criticize the sausage (peace deal) while it’s being made.” (12/06/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/us-nato-trump/
-----
28) Trump Bites the Hand That Voted for Him
Source: The Bulwark
by Will Saletan
“Donald Trump’s latest assault on immigrants — threatening to ‘denaturalize’ U.S. citizens who were born in other countries — is an affront to human rights and American values. It’s also a betrayal of the six million naturalized Americans who voted for him last year. Without their ballots, he wouldn’t be president. And if they turn against him, his party will be out of power. … if Trump thinks he can strip naturalized Americans of their citizenship, he’d better move fast. The backlash from nonwhite voters has already cost his party two governorships.” (12/05/25)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-bites-the-hand-that-voted-for-him-naturalized-immigrants-citizens
-----
29) In Haiti, soccer joy and longed-for unity
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“It’s been nearly 10 years since the people of Haiti have voted in an election – and more than 50 since this soccer-loving nation has fielded a team in the World Cup tournament. In 2026, they’ll get to do both. On Dec. 5, a few weeks after Haiti’s November qualifying victory, World Cup organizer FIFA announced group draws for the competition. Around the same time, with somewhat less fanfare, Haiti’s transitional government announced election plans. Meanwhile, the United States called on countries to support a new United Nations-approved multinational mission to quell rampant gang violence in the Caribbean island nation. Neither the World Cup berth nor the proposed international Gang Suppression Force promise easy wins for Haitians. But they hint at a possibility of parlaying the unity and persistent effort demonstrated on the soccer pitch to the arena of politics and governance.” (12/05/25)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2025/1205/In-Haiti-soccer-joy-and-longed-for-unity
-----
30) Strategy and Culture in the Graveyard of Empires
Source: Law & Liberty
by Jason Gehrke
“About two weeks after America’s final withdrawal from Kabul, Al-Qaeda issued an open letter praising ‘the Almighty, the Omnipotent,’ the one who ‘broke America’s back’ in Afghanistan ‘the graveyard of empires.’ Al-Qaeda’s boast transformed a self-fulfilling prophecy into the Taliban’s triumphant honorific, according to Choosing Defeat, a new book by Paul D. Miller, Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Georgetown University. … In his telling, the phrase ‘graveyard of empires’ haunted U.S. policymaking for twenty years. Every wartime president invoked it, as did American generals, senior civilians, defense intellectuals, and journalists. There’s only one problem: Afghanistan never was known as the graveyard of empires — not until Milt Bearden penned an article in 2001. When asked, Bearden said he ‘just came up with the name for [his] piece for Foreign Affairs.'” (12/05/25)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/strategy-and-culture-in-the-graveyard-of-empires/
-----
31) Trump’s aggression toward Venezuela a warning to Putin
Source: Fox News
by David Marcus
“President Donald Trump has seen recent setbacks in his polling numbers on many issues, but one bright spot in surveys has been his aggressive approach to Venezuela, including taking out drug cartel boats. But there is another purpose at work here, one that may help to end the war in Ukraine. What is important to understand is that Venezuela is a client state of Russia, as is Iran, and as was Syria until the recent overthrow of Bashar al-Assad. One by one, Trump has been proving that against American might, Putin cannot keep his sketchy global friends safe.” (12/06/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/david-marcus-trumps-aggression-toward-venezuela-warning-putin
-----
32) “The Worst of the Worst”
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson
“[T]he Trump administration has its agents arresting green card applicants as they show up for their final meeting. These are not ‘the worst of the worst’ as Donald Trump likes to put it: One was a British mother with her 4-month-old baby in her arms. (The New York Times has the whole ugly story.) These people were not accused of having entered the country illegally or of violating U.S. immigration law in some way other than following a legal process that takes a long time and creates ambiguities. Some of them were shipped off to detention centers. Why are federal agents arresting these people? Because they are the easiest people to arrest …. Some strategy: Abuse the weak, the vulnerable, and the law-abiding — chasing down the actual malefactors is too much work.” (12/05/25)
https://thedispatch.com/article/immigration-criminals-green-card-arrests-trump/
-----
33) Sudan, Venezuela, And Other Notes
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“The Guardian has a report out which says that at least 60,000 people were murdered by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) when they captured El Fasher in October, which would be the largest single massacre since Rwanda in 1994. Just in the last few days the RSF have reportedly killed 46 children and scores of adults in suicide drone attacks. These massacres are made possible by the United Arab Emirates, who have been funneling weapons to the RSF through a complex international supply chain. Much like the Saudi-led genocide in Yemen from 2015 to 2022 (which the UAE also participated in), this is yet another instance of a tyrannical Gulf state monarchy committing unfathomable atrocities while its friends in Washington look the other way.” (12/07/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/12/07/sudan-venezuela-and-other-notes/
-----
34) Socialism Through Regulation
Source: Independent Institute
by Scott Beyer
“Government regulations are sold to the public as protective measures put in place to safeguard consumer health and welfare. And sometimes they do. But as we’ve discussed in this column, they often protect incumbent business interests from competition by making it harder for new or smaller competitors to enter the market. Then there’s a less discussed third intention — one that reflects the incentives of the regulators themselves: growing the government for its own sake.” (12/05/25)
https://www.independent.org/article/2025/12/05/socialism-through-regulation/
-----
35) Tax Assessor, House-Nabber
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“In 1994, Scott Pung won exemption from a school tax. He died in 2004. But years later, a local tax assessor contended that his widow, now also deceased, should have submitted new paperwork to retain the exemption. … The estate’s administrator, Mike Pung, got nowhere trying to explain things to the tax assessor. So he brought his case to the Michigan Tax Tribunal. The tribunal ruled in favor of the Pungs. Didn’t matter. When Mike paid the property taxes for 2012, the assessor called it an underpayment, since payment for the tax that the Pungs did not owe had not been included. Mike still refused to pay the school tax. So the county grabbed the home that it had assessed at $200,000 and auctioned it for $76,000 to recover the amount of that tax.” (12/05/25)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2025/12/05/tax-assessor-house-nabber/
-----
36) There Is No “Axis of Authoritarianism”
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“Venezuela obviously poses no threat to the U.S. on its own. That is why interventionists have been going out of their way to hype the connections with great power rivals. The trouble for the fearmongers is that the connections are much more tenuous and much less significant than they have claimed. There has been increased military cooperation between some of these authoritarian states, but except for Russia and North Korea none of it comes close to a formal treaty alliance. Hawks want the public to believe that there is a grand anti-American coalition forming around the world to menace the U.S. to sell the same braindead aggressive policies they have always favored. Whenever the U.S. threatens or attacks one of these states, we see that there is no coalition.” (12/05/25)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/there-is-no-axis-of-authoritarianism
-----
37) Time for a Midterm Contract With America
Source: Town Hall
by Terry Paulson
“President Trump will not be on the ballot to help Republicans in the midterm elections, but his administration’s promises for his final two years should be. For a critical election, Newt Gingrich rallied Republican candidates to come together with a Contract with America that helped win the day. The contrast between the Republican and Democratic parties has never been greater. Most Americans are tired of the personal political attacks, but they may again be ready to listen to what these warring parties will actually do if voters deliver them a midterm victory. Let’s be honest, Donald Trump is a can-do President. He took four years to prepare the campaign promises his administration would start delivering on day one. His team works every day to do just that, and the results are amazing.” (12/06/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/terrypaulson/2025/12/06/time-for-a-midterm-contract-with-america-n2667474
-----
38) Implications of Academic Dishonesty
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“No single academic knows enough to base his conclusion solely on his own work and expertise. Each of them is relying on information produced by many others. … What happens if each of those experts feels entitled, even obligated, to lie just a little, to shade his conclusions to strengthen the support they provide for what he believes is the right conclusion? Each of them then interprets the work of all the others as providing more support for that conclusion than it really does. The result might be that they end up biasing their results in support of the wrong conclusion, which each of them believes is right on the basis of the lies of all the others.” (12/05/25)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/implications-of-academic-dishonesty-2e2
-----
39) The Military As A Murder Weapon
Source: The Weekly Dish
by Andrew Sullivan
“No president ever pardoned a soldier for war crimes before Donald Trump. Yes, there were broad Confederate amnesties that effectively forgave Civil War atrocities, but no pardons. Even Nixon merely lessened and commuted the sentence of the My Lai commander found guilty of civilian mass murder. But in his first term, Trump pardoned three men very credibly accused by their own troops of wantonly killing unarmed civilians — and one convicted of posing with a man he’d just murdered. Their chief lobbyist? [Pete] Hegseth. … Yes, murdering a few bad guys on a boat in cold blood may sound like a trivial thing. But the principles it violates are about as profound as you can get. This kind of murder is not a defense of the West. It’s an attack on it.” (12/05/25)
https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/the-military-as-a-murder-weapon-cbd
-----
40) Bigger Government Means Bigger Fraud: Minnesota’s Billion-Dollar Lesson in Incentives
Source: The Daily Economy
by Saul Zimet
‘Minnesota’s largest-ever food-aid scandal reveals how weak incentives, political pressure, and lax oversight enable public-sector fraud to flourish — costing taxpayers billions.” (12/05/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/bigger-government-means-bigger-fraud-minnesotas-billion-dollar-lesson-in-incentives/
-----
41) For Trump, Authoritarian Saudi Arabia Is Good, But Authoritarian Iran & Venezuela Are Bad
Source: Common Dreams
by Miles Mogulescu
“While President Donald Trump and many of America’s top corporate CEOs were bowing down in Washington to Saudi absolute monarch Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Trump administration was busy escalating (unauthorized and illegal) military actions against Venezuela with the apparent goal of regime change. Last summer, it bombed Iran, killing over 1,000 civilians, in a failed attempt to destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons potential. The US insists Venezuela and Iran are enemies in part because of authoritarian governments and human rights violations. But Saudi Arabia is one of the most authoritarian states in the world, marked by an absolute monarchy, tight control over political expression, and severe penalties for dissent.” (12/06/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/nader-open-letter-to-mamdani
-----
42) Why are utilities building tomorrow’s grid with yesterday’s technology?
Source: Niskanen Center
by Rachel Levine
“The U.S. must rapidly expand its high-voltage transmission system to keep electricity affordable and reliable over the coming decade. After years of nearly stagnant development, any interest in transmission buildout among grid operators is encouraging. Yet, even amid this renewed momentum, utilities nationwide continue to embrace alternating current transmission, a 19th century innovation, instead of embracing modern and commercially viable high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology.” [editor’s note: “Grids” themselves are yesterday’s technology. Tomorrow’s technology is decentralized local generation, not “improved” long-distance transmission – TLK] (12/05/25)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/why-are-utilities-building-tomorrows-grid-with-yesterdays-technology
-----
43) Venezuela, History, and the Futile Quest for Regime Change
Source: CounterPunch
by David Schultz
“Philosophers from Immanuel Kant to George Santayana warned that history repeats itself because we fail to heed its lessons. So it is with the Trump administration and its plan for regime change in Venezuela. Even if it succeeds in ousting Nicolás Maduro, the result will almost certainly mirror the failures of Afghanistan and Iraq under the Bush and Biden administrations.” (12/05/25)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/12/05/venezuela-history-and-the-futile-quest-for-regime-change/
-----
44) Europe’s Innovation Is Drowned in a Sea of Government Intervention
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Mihai Macovei
“Europe became prosperous through a burst of innovation and capital accumulation during the eighteenth-century industrial revolution that allowed individual freedom to replace feudalistic rents and privileges. A new industrial revolution based on digitalization, advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and automation is in the making, but the reputed analyst Wolfgang Münchau claims that Europe is about to miss it. In his view, Europe has forgotten how to innovate, because it may still have the aptitude, but it has lost the right attitude to foster creative destruction. Münchau and other analysts put down this failure on European government’s inability to pick winners like China or capitalize on military investment like the US, in order to promote cutting-edge technologies and research. In our view this is wrong – Europe does not need more and better targeted government intervention, but considerably less.” (12/05/25)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/europes-innovation-drowned-sea-government-intervention
-----
45) The War on Pete Hegseth
Source: American Greatness
by Cynical Publius
“I have had enough. I can no longer sit still while the Deep State does its very best to smear Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and have him removed from his post via lies, rumors, propaganda, and innuendo. It feels exactly like version 2.0 of the ‘Trump/Russia Collusion’ disinformation campaign, and it needs to be called out for what it is. Enough. I am here to defend the best Secretary of War/Defense since Caspar Weinberger. What we have seen in the last few weeks is clearly an orchestrated, carefully constructed character assassination campaign against Hegseth. The campaign began in the early days of November when the leaders of the Sedition 6 introduced legislation known as the ‘No Troops in Our Streets Act,’ legislation clearly designed to undermine the roles of President Trump and Secretary Hegseth in the military chain of command.” [editor’s note: I learned some Latin today — “Publius,” in English, obviously means “idiot” – TLK] (12/05/25)
https://amgreatness.com/2025/12/05/the-war-on-pete-hegseth/
-----
46) Spain’s Courtroom Politics
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Mark Nayler
“If there is a threat to democracy in Spain, it’s not from the ‘far right,’ that mysterious force to which Socialist prime minister Pedro Sánchez wants to attribute all the country’s problems. Recent developments have highlighted two issues that are causing much more damage to public trust in democratic institutions—namely, the politicization of the judiciary, or ‘lawfare,’ and financial corruption. Lawfare is alleged to be the reason for an unprecedented ruling against Spain’s former attorney general; while a massive fraud case centered on 95-year-old Jordi Pujol, president of Catalonia from 1980 to 2003, has tarnished the reputation of a once-revered politician.” (12/05/25)
https://fee.org/articles/spains-courtroom-politics/
-----
47) Home schooling — enemy of government?
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton
“Fifty-sixty years ago, no one had ever heard of home schooling here in the States. It wasn’t necessarily nonexistent, but incredibly rare. You might find the occasional rancher or forest ranger or other remote family teaching their own children, but truancy (mandatory attendance) laws, tradition, and above all, public perception looked upon such things as horrible and totally unacceptable. Even parochial (Catholic) and other private (religious or not) schools were seen by the mainstream and general public as tolerated but weird. And rare. Many State constitutions enshrined the idea of ‘free tuition’ – that is, public schools. Then came a combination of measures and events which started gradually to change that. Indeed, to create the modern-day homeschooling movement.” (12/05/25)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2025/12/05/home-schooling-enemy-of-government/
-----
48) Housing: Supply vs. Quantity
Source: EconLog
by David Hebert
“If there’s one thing we can count on in America, it’s that our elected officials will see an affordability crisis and respond to it by stimulating the demand side of the market. Today, we’re seeing this in the case of the housing industry, with Administration officials floating both a new (and improved!) 50-year mortgage and a portable mortgage. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says that both of these will help break the ‘logjam’ of owners who are stuck with their 3% mortgages and are reluctant to move, which will help with the affordability ‘crisis’ in the American housing market. After all, if more houses come on the market for sale, won’t that push prices down? This statement belies a fundamental misunderstanding of the difference between supply and quantity supplied.” (12/05/25)
https://www.econlib.org/econlog/housing-supply-vs-quantity
-----
49) Netflix Aims for Entertainment Domination
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“In progressive circles, there is a great fear about the consolidation of Hollywood and the broader media into the hands of allies of MAGA. ABC’s capitulation to Trump is well documented. Larry Ellison’s son David bought Paramount: Stephen Colbert was suddenly off the air, and Bari Weiss was running CBS News. Oracle, Ellison’s company, is the main benefactor of the still-pending TikTok acquisition from its Chinese parent. And Paramount made several overtures to Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) to buy the company, consolidate its TV and film studios along with its array of cable channels under one roof, and put a conservative oligarch family in charge of CBS, CNN, and a large segment of American entertainment and media. But WBD decided to look at other offers. And today, they chose the higher-value bid: an $82.7 billion merger with Netflix.” (12/05/25)
https://prospect.org/2025/12/05/netflix-warner-bros-entertainment-domination/
-----
50) Washington didn’t cross Delaware to create a theocracy
Source: Orange County Register
by Steven Greenhut
“Most people see America as an experiment in classical liberalism, whereby the founders created a system of limited government, religious pluralism and liberty. Religious leaders are free to spread their message through the culture — but not to take control of the levers of power and base lawmaking on their sectarian Bible interpretations. The Constitution protects everyone’s natural rights, with its main purpose limiting the sphere of government — not implementing rules to assure proper religious observance. There really is no other way to seriously read our Constitution, but many religious people still argue the founders were Christians who envisioned a Christian nation.” (12/05/25)
https://archive.is/hB2aO
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Unattended Baggage, episode 320
Source: Unattended Baggage
“Yep, that’s a War Crime.” (12/06/25)
https://unattendedbaggage.substack.com/p/episode-320-yep-thats-a-war-crime
-----
52) The Good Fight, 12/06/25
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Richard Thaler on Why People are Much More Irrational than Economists Believe.” (12/06/25)
https://yaschamounk.substack.com/p/richard-thaler
-----
53) What America Can Learn From Japanese Housing
Source: Reason
“On housing policy, America needs to be less fascist King Kong and more free-market Godzilla.” (12/05/25)
https://reason.com/2025/12/05/what-america-can-learn-from-japanese-housing/
-----
54) Serious Trouble, 12/05/25
Source: Serious Trouble
‘Lindsey Halligan is not a US Attorney, which is a problem; a Georgia official puts the Trump RICO case out of its misery; Megan Thee Stallion wins her lawsuit, sort of.” (12/05/25)
https://www.serioustrouble.show/p/cases-dismissed
-----
55) The Dispatch Podcast, 12/05/25
Source: The Dispatch
“Steve Hayes invites Jonah Goldberg, David French, and Kevin Williamson to discuss the ‘double tap’ order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that may violate the laws of war. Is this another issue where Trump can ‘win’ because we’re an outcomes-over-process society?” (12/05/25)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/dispatch-podcast/corrupting-influences-roundtable/
-----
56) The Climate Realism Show, episode 184
Source: Heartland Institute
“Good News: Climate Cult In Decline.” (12/05/25)
https://heartland.org/podcasts/good-news-climate-cult-in-decline-the-climate-realism-show-184-2/
-----
57) The Lou Perez Podcast, 12/06/25
Source: Lions of Liberty
“Gun Censorship w/ Armanet’s Ibrahim Pataudi.” (12/06/25)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/tlpp-gun-censorship-w-armanets-ibrahim-pataudi
-----
58) The Tom Woods Show, episode 2715
Source: The Tom Woods Show
“Not Stolen: The Truth About European Colonialism in the New World.” (12/05/25)
https://tomwoods.com/ep-2715-not-stolen-the-truth-about-european-colonialism-in-the-new-world/
-----
59) System Update, episode 554
Source: System Update
“Glenn Answers Your Questions on an Un-American Candidate in TX, Escalating War with Venezuela, Trump’s Loyalty to Miriam Adelson, and More.” (12/05/25)
https://rumble.com/v72naxo-system-update-show-554.html
-----
60) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 12/05/25
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“The ‘Golden Age’ of Job Layoffs?” (12/05/25)
https://rumble.com/v72mzug-the-golden-age-of-job-layoffs.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FND is published every weekday except on holidays. Forward freely.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit:
http://groups.google.com/group/freedom-news-daily
Support the Liberty International (tax deductible)
https://liberty-intl.org/join-the-movement/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Presented by the Liberty International
https://liberty-intl.org/
Produced by the staff of Rational Review News Digest
https://news.rationalreview.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's Freedom News:
0) Doom, Despair, and Agony on Us (Year-End Fundraiser Update)
1) Thai regime launches airstrikes along disputed border with Cambodia as tensions flare
2) ETH, ADA, XRP Lead Gains as Bitcoin Edges Higher on Fed Rate Cut Expectations
3) Ukrainian city hit by “massive” strike as peace talks in US conclude
4) Benin: Regime says armed forces foil coup attempt
5) Palestine: Bethlehem’s Christmas tree lights up for first time since Gaza genocide began
6) MA: Acting ICE gang shot-caller, Boston Archdiocese whine about “ICE was here” Nativity sign
7) UN nuclear watchdog: Chernobyl protective shield can no longer confine radiation after drone strik
8) ID: Bar owner faces death threats after viral promo offering free beer for helping ICE gang
9) Judge will release Jeffrey Epstein grand jury documents
10) “Bullshit”: Musk responds to EU regulator’s €120 million bribe demand
11) Dr. Oz warns Walz to address alleged Somali Medicaid fraud or lose federal funding
12) ICC prosecutor says Putin warrant won’t disappear even if Ukraine peace talks are successful
13) Judge rules evidence linked to James Comey’s ally is off limits to DOJ
14) Judge puts a one-year limit on Google’s contracts for default search placement
15) India: Fire at a popular nightclub in Goa state kills at least 25
16) Putin, Modi announce expansion of Russia-India trade ties
17) US DOT waives $11 million Southwest Airlines bribe demand
18) AZ: Congresswoman claims gang members assaulted, pepper sprayed her
19) Japan, Australia urge calm after Chinese radar locks on Japanese jets
20) French navy shoots at five drones buzzing nuclear submarine base
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Murder for Christmas?
22) Venezuela: Eye on the Prize?
23) Our Killing Machines
24) Europe Fires a Speech Warning
25) The last act of the feature film
26) America needs to restore high standards before our schools become completely worthless
27) NATO ambassador: Don’t hate on the sausage before its made
28) Trump Bites the Hand That Voted for Him
29) In Haiti, soccer joy and longed-for unity
30) Strategy and Culture in the Graveyard of Empires
31) Trump’s aggression toward Venezuela a warning to Putin
32) “The Worst of the Worst”
33) Sudan, Venezuela, And Other Notes
34) Socialism Through Regulation
35) Tax Assessor, House-Nabber
36) There Is No “Axis of Authoritarianism”
37) Time for a Midterm Contract With America
38) Implications of Academic Dishonesty
39) The Military As A Murder Weapon
40) Bigger Government Means Bigger Fraud: Minnesota’s Billion-Dollar Lesson in Incentives
41) For Trump, Authoritarian Saudi Arabia Is Good, But Authoritarian Iran & Venezuela Are Bad
42) Why are utilities building tomorrow’s grid with yesterday’s technology?
43) Venezuela, History, and the Futile Quest for Regime Change
44) Europe’s Innovation Is Drowned in a Sea of Government Intervention
45) The War on Pete Hegseth
46) Spain’s Courtroom Politics
47) Home schooling — enemy of government?
48) Housing: Supply vs. Quantity
49) Netflix Aims for Entertainment Domination
50) Washington didn’t cross Delaware to create a theocracy
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Unattended Baggage, episode 320
52) The Good Fight, 12/06/25
53) What America Can Learn From Japanese Housing
54) Serious Trouble, 12/05/25
55) The Dispatch Podcast, 12/05/25
56) The Climate Realism Show, episode 184
57) The Lou Perez Podcast, 12/06/25
58) The Tom Woods Show, episode 2715
59) System Update, episode 554
60) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 12/05/25
vvvvv SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS vvvvv
SHOP ONLINE, COLLECT A REBATE IN BITCOIN!
https://www.lolli.com/share/MZB4cCpheL
THE CONSTITUTION OF NON-STATE GOVERNMENT: FIELD GUIDE TO TEXAS SECESSION, by TL Hulsey
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1947660853
Tyranny Demands AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE: A NOVEL BY ERNE LEWIS
https://tinyurl.com/actofselfdefense
ONE IDENTITY FOR ALL YOUR CRYPTO
https://fioprotocol.io/
SAMUEL EDWARD KONKIN III REVOLUTIONARY FRIEND BY WENDY MCELROY
https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Edward-Konkin-Revolutionary-Friend-ebook/dp/B0DP7B6127
^^^^^ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ^^^^^
_____ Today's Freedom News _____
0) Doom, Despair, and Agony on Us (Year-End Fundraiser Update)
THANK YOU to supporter DB, whose $10 donation over the weekend brings our year-end fundraiser total to $1,433.84!
We're 75% of the way through our only annual fundraiser period, but only 52% of the way to our goal. I don't know if we've ever been this far behind, this late in the game, before.
In order to reach our goal of $5,501, we must raise another $1,316.66. That will get us to the halfway point, after which reader GL has pledged to "match funds" for the other half.
But unless we raise the first half, we don't get the second.
PLEASE SUPPORT THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT'S DAILY NEWSPAPER AT:
https://news.rationalreview.com/support-rrnd
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily
-----
1) Thai regime launches airstrikes along disputed border with Cambodia as tensions flare
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“Thailand has launched airstrikes along its disputed border with Cambodia after both countries accused each other of breaching a ceasefire deal brokered by Donald Trump. Four Cambodian civilians and at least one Thai soldier have been killed in the renewed clashes, which have forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. Thailand’s military said airstrikes were launched after one of its soldiers was killed and four others wounded in fighting along the countries’ tense border on Monday morning. The Thai air force said it was striking military targets in several areas and accused Cambodia of mobilising heavy weaponry and repositioning combat units. Cambodia’s defence ministry blamed Thailand for the escalation.” (12/08/25)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/08/thailand-airstrikes-disputed-border-cambodia
-----
2) ETH, ADA, XRP Lead Gains as Bitcoin Edges Higher on Fed Rate Cut Expectations
Source: CoinDesk
“Bitcoin traded just above $91,300 on Monday as Asian equities opened the week slightly higher ahead of a heavy run of central bank decisions, including a Federal Reserve meeting where markets have largely priced in a 25-basis-point rate cut. … Crypto markets followed the broader tone. Bitcoin rose 2% over the past 24 hours and is up more than 6% over the past week, extending last week’s rebound but meeting early resistance near the $94,000 area. … Ether gained 3% to trade near $3,135, outperforming most majors on the day and logging a 10.6% advance over the past week. BNB added 1%, Solana rose about 1.6%, Lido’s stETH climbed almost 3%, and XRP traded around $2.08 after a 1.2% uptick. Cardano led declines in the top tier, slipping about 1.4% on the day.” (12/08/25)
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/12/08/eth-ada-xrp-lead-gains-as-bitcoin-edges-higher-on-fed-rate-cut-expectations
-----
3) Ukrainian city hit by “massive” strike as peace talks in US conclude
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Russia continued its air strikes on Ukraine overnight, hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a ‘very constructive’ phone call with Donald Trump’s negotiating team following three days of talks in Florida. Early on Sunday the mayor of Kremenchuk, a major industrial hub in central Ukraine, said the city had been repeatedly struck in a ‘massive’ attack. No deaths have been confirmed so far. Meanwhile, Russia said it had shot down 77 Ukrainian drones in several locations.” (12/07/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz680jx511no
-----
4) Benin: Regime says armed forces foil coup attempt
Source: Reuters
“Benin’s government said on Sunday its armed forces had foiled a coup attempt after a group of soldiers in the West African nation claimed on national television to have seized power. … At least eight soldiers, several wearing helmets, went on state television on Sunday morning to announce that a military committee led by Colonel Tigri Pascal had taken over and was dissolving national institutions, suspending the constitution and closing air, land and maritime borders. … Gunfire could be heard earlier on Sunday in several neighbourhoods of Cotonou, the country’s largest city and economic hub, as residents were trying to make their way to church early on Sunday morning.” (12/07/25)
https://archive.is/6x2oZ
-----
5) Palestine: Bethlehem’s Christmas tree lights up for first time since Gaza genocide began
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“For the first time in two years, the Christmas tree in Bethlehem lit up the night sky, restoring a glimmer of joy to the birthplace of Jesus after seasons overshadowed by Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. Palestinians watching the lighting said the celebration carried a dual meaning: Hope in the Nativity and a yearning for freedom from the Israeli siege gripping Bethlehem and cities across the occupied territory. … This year’s celebrations were limited to religious rituals, attended by church leaders and local officials who stood on a stage in Manger Square for a modest tree-lighting ceremony. Thousands gathered in the square, singing hymns and listening to choirs carolling – the only form of festivity permitted at a time many described as a mix of joy and mourning.” (12/07/25)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/7/bethlehems-christmas-tree-lights-up-after-two-years-of-darkness
-----
6) MA: Acting ICE gang shot-caller, Boston Archdiocese whine about “ICE was here” Nativity sign
Source: Fox News
“ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, as well as the Archdiocese of Boston, are calling for the removal of an ‘ICE was here’ sign that was placed at a Nativity scene at a Massachusetts church. ‘The actions of the activist reverend, Stephen Josoma, are absolutely abhorrent and add to a dangerous narrative responsible for a more than 1,150% increase in assaults on ICE officers,’ Lyons told Fox News Digital in a statement. A Nativity scene at St. Susanna Parish in Dedham, a suburb of Boston, shows an empty manger with a sign reading ‘ICE was here,’ along with contact information for a group that monitors immigration enforcement in Massachusetts. Rev. Stephen Josoma, the pastor at St. Susanna, said the church’s peace and justice group organizes a display annually.” (12/06/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/media/ice-director-boston-archdiocese-demand-ice-here-nativity-removed-from-mass-church
-----
7) UN nuclear watchdog: Chernobyl protective shield can no longer confine radiation after drone strik
Source: CNN
“The protective shield built around the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site in Ukraine can no longer do its job to confine radioactive waste as a result of a drone strike earlier this year, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The New Safe Confinement (NSC) at Chernobyl, which was ‘severely damaged’ by the drone strike in February, has ‘lost its primary safety functions, including the confinement capability,’ the IAEA said in a Friday statement. Ukraine accused Russia of carrying out the February 14 strike at Chernobyl, which the Kremlin denied.” (12/06/25)
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/06/europe/chernobyl-drone-strike-radiation-latam-intl
-----
8) ID: Bar owner faces death threats after viral promo offering free beer for helping ICE gang
Source: Fox News
“Idaho bar owner Mark Fitzpatrick said his saloon has been flooded with both praise and outrage after a promotion offering ‘free beer’ to anyone who helps Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) identify and deport an illegal [sic] immigrant went viral. The Old State Saloon’s promotion, which was posted Nov. 29 on X, was viewed nearly 8 million times. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also reposted it, generating both excitement and online attacks, including threats to burn down the business and kill its outspoken owner.” (12/06/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/us/idaho-bar-owner-faces-death-threats-after-viral-promo-offering-free-beer-assisting-ice
-----
9) Judge will release Jeffrey Epstein grand jury documents
Source: Axios
“A federal judge on Friday ordered the grand jury transcripts in convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s trial be unsealed. The move comes after Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Trump signed in November despite his initial opposition.” (12/05/25)
https://archive.is/NLCTH
-----
10) “Bullshit”: Musk responds to EU regulator’s €120 million bribe demand
Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]
“Elon Musk’s social media company X was fined 120 million euros ($193.3 million Cdn) by EU tech regulators on Friday for breaching online content rules, the first sanction under landmark legislation that once again drew criticism from the U.S. government. While X did not respond to an emailed request for comment, Musk replied ‘Bulls–t’ under a European Commission post about the fine. He also reposted several messages criticizing the decision and wrote, ‘Freedom of speech is the bedrock [of] democracy. The only way to know what you are voting for.’ … EU regulators said X’s DSA violations included the deceptive design of its blue checkmark for verified accounts, the lack of transparency of its advertising repository and its failure to provide researchers access to public data.” (12/05/25)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/elon-musk-x-fine-tech-regulators-9.7004932
-----
11) Dr. Oz warns Walz to address alleged Somali Medicaid fraud or lose federal funding
Source: New York Post
“Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz on Friday warned Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz the state could lose federal Medicaid funding unless it restores ‘the integrity’ of its program. In a post on X, Dr. Oz claimed more than $1 billion had been stolen through a massive Medicaid fraud scheme carried out by ‘bad actors’ within Minnesota’s Somali community, alleging some of the funds ‘may have even made its way to the Somalian terrorist group (al-Shabab).’ ‘Our staff at CMS told me they’ve never seen anything like this in Medicaid — and everyone from Gov. Tim Walz on down needs to be investigated, because they’ve been asleep at the wheel,’ Oz said.” (12/07/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/12/07/us-news/dr-oz-warns-tim-walz-to-address-alleged-somali-medicaid-fraud-or-minnesota-will-lose-federal-funding/
-----
12) ICC prosecutor says Putin warrant won’t disappear even if Ukraine peace talks are successful
Source: ABC News
“The deputy prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said Friday that the court’s investigation into the invasion of Ukraine cannot be halted by peace talks but could be deferred by the U.N. Security Council. ‘If we have an ongoing investigation, then we will follow our own regulatory framework,’ deputy prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan told The Associated Press. … The court has issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and five others over their alleged involvement in war crimes in Ukraine. The Kremlin has repeatedly said that it doesn’t recognize the jurisdiction of the court and considers the warrant null and void.” (12/05/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/icc-prosecutor-putin-warrant-wont-disappear-ukraine-peace-128146049
-----
13) Judge rules evidence linked to James Comey’s ally is off limits to DOJ
Source: Fox News
“A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that certain evidence linked to an ally of former FBI Director James Comey is temporarily off limits to the Justice Department in its efforts to renew a prosecution of the ex-director following the dismissed criminal case. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said the DOJ may not use information pertaining to Daniel Richman. ‘Upon consideration of Petitioner Daniel Richman’s Motion for Temporary Restraining Order, the relevant legal authority, and the entire present record, the Court concludes that Petitioner Richman is entitled to a narrow temporary restraining order to preserve the status quo while the Court evaluates his Motion for Return of Property and awaits full briefing and argument from the parties,’ the ruling reads.” (12/06/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/judge-rules-evidence-linked-james-comeys-ally-off-limits-doj
-----
14) Judge puts a one-year limit on Google’s contracts for default search placement
Source: Engadget
“A federal judge has expanded on the remedies decided for the Department of Justice’s antitrust case against Google, ruling in favor of putting a one-year limit on the contracts that make Google’s search and AI services the default on devices, Bloomberg reports. Judge Amit Mehta’s ruling on Friday means Google will have to renegotiate these contacts every year, which would create a fairer playing field for its competitors. The new details come after Mehta ruled in September that Google would not have to sell off Chrome, as the DOJ proposed at the end of 2024.” (12/06/25)
https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/judge-puts-a-one-year-limit-on-googles-contracts-for-default-search-placement-215549614.html
-----
15) India: Fire at a popular nightclub in Goa state kills at least 25
Source: SFGate
“At least 25 people, including tourists, were killed in a fire at a popular nightclub in India’s Goa state, the state’s chief minister said Sunday. The blaze occurred just past midnight in Arpora in North Goa, a party hub. Goa’s chief minister Pramod Sawant said most of the dead were the club’s kitchen workers, as well as three to four tourists. Six were injured and are in stable condition, he said. The fire occurred due to a gas cylinder blast and has been extinguished, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, quoting local police. All the bodies have been recovered. It said at least 100 people were on the club’s dance floor when the fire broke out and several rushed to the kitchen below in the chaos and got trapped along with staff.” (12/06/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/a-fire-at-a-popular-nightclub-in-india-s-goa-21228016.php
-----
16) Putin, Modi announce expansion of Russia-India trade ties
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
“Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday at an annual summit and agreed to diversify mutual economic ties, as the United States presses India to revise its decades-old partnership with Russia. The 23rd Russia-India Summit comes at a pivotal moment as the U.S. pushes for a Ukraine peace deal while seeking global cooperation. It will test New Delhi’s efforts to balance relations with Moscow and Washington as the nearly four-year war in Ukraine grinds on.” (12/05/25)
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/12/05/india-russia-summit/
-----
17) US DOT waives $11 million Southwest Airlines bribe demand
Source: ABC News
“The U.S. Department of Transportation announced it will waive the remaining $11 million in fines Southwest Airlines owed as part of a record $140 million penalty over its operational meltdown during holiday travel in 2022. ‘In lieu of a payment of an $11 million civil penalty to the government, this order provides Southwest with an $11 million credit for significantly improving its on-time performance and completion factor through its $112.4 million investment in its Network Operations Control (NOC),’ the DOT said in an updated order this week. The DOT said waiving the installment will incentivize airlines to make investments towards improving their operations and resiliency that directly benefits customers.” (12/06/25)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/11m-southwest-airlines-fine-waived-by-dot/ar-AA1RRdQi?ocid=BingNewsBrowse
-----
18) AZ: Congresswoman claims gang members assaulted, pepper sprayed her
Source: Axios
“Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said Friday she was pepper sprayed and ‘pushed around’ by Immigration and Custom Enforcement [gang members] during a raid in her district. The alleged incident follows a series of physical confrontations this year between Democratic lawmakers and federal law enforcement, particularly ICE. … [Gang] spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Grijalva’s claims are ‘not true’ and that ‘she wasn’t pepper sprayed.’ Grijalva said in a video posted to social media that roughly 40 ICE [gang members] raided a taco restaurant in Tucson that she frequents, Taco Giro, while she was present.” (12/05/25)
https://archive.is/BEP53
-----
19) Japan, Australia urge calm after Chinese radar locks on Japanese jets
Source: SFGate
“Japan and Australia urged calm on Sunday after Chinese military aircraft locked radar on Japanese fighter jets, a month after the Japanese leader’s recent remarks on Taiwan that stirred tensions between Tokyo and Beijing. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Japan formally protested the incident, calling it ‘an extremely regrettable act’ and ‘a dangerous one’ that ‘exceeded the scope necessary for safe aircraft operations.’ ‘We have lodged a strong protest with the Chinese side and demanded strict preventive measures,’ Koizumi said. Japan’s Defense Ministry said China’s military aircraft J-15 took off from the Chinese carrier Liaoning near the southern island of Okinawa on Saturday and ‘intermittently’ latched its radar on Japanese F-15 fighter jets on two occasions Saturday, for about three minutes in the late afternoon and for about 30 minutes in the evening.” (12/06/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/japan-protests-after-a-chinese-military-aircraft-21227971.php
-----
20) French navy shoots at five drones buzzing nuclear submarine base
Source: Politico
“The French navy opened fire at drones that were detected over a highly-sensitive military site harboring French nuclear submarines, according to newswire Agence France-Presse. Five drones were detected Thursday night over the submarine base of Île Longue, in Brittany, western France, a strategic military site home to ballistic missile submarines, the AFP reported, citing the the French gendarmerie, which is part of the military. The submarines harbored at the base carry nuclear weapons and are a key part of France’s nuclear deterrent. French navy troops in charge of protecting the base opened fire, the report said. It was unclear whether the drones were shot down.” (12/05/25)
https://www.politico.eu/article/drones-france-nuclear-submarine-base-reports/
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Murder for Christmas?
Source: Antiwar.com
by Andrew P Napolitano
“When Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted a meme of Franklin the Turtle, the amiable child’s cartoon character, in a helicopter using a military weapon to kill people in a small boat below him, and captioned it ‘For your Christmas wish list,’ it understandably caused an uproar. Should the secretary of defense be mocking the people his troops have killed? Should he engage a child’s cartoon character to produce this mockery? Should anyone in his right mind, who professes to understand Christianity, suggest that this killing should be on a child’s Christmas wish list? Should he be killing nonviolent boatpeople? Here is the back story.” (12/05/25)
https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2025/12/04/murder-for-christmas
-----
22) Venezuela: Eye on the Prize?
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“President Donald Trump embarked on a serial murder spree around the Caribbean in September, ordering boats (and people) blown up by US military forces on the pretense that he’s fighting a ‘narco-terrorist cartel’ headed by Maduro (on whose head he’s placed a $50 million bounty). He’s also steadily increased the US military presence in the region, rattling the American saber for ‘regime change’ in Caracas. It’s been tempting, so far, to write Trump’s belligerence off as an attempt to distract from his domestic political failures …. On the other hand, if he’s really going to take the US to war with Venezuela, what better moment — for theatrical and propaganda purposes — to launch a full-scale attack than just as his quisling of choice accepts a ‘peace prize’ in Oslo?” (12/06/25)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20193
-----
23) Our Killing Machines
Source: Pierre Lemieux
by Pierre Lemieux
“In 2019, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, famously wrote: ‘We train our boys to be killing machines, then prosecute them when they kill!’ The ‘boys’ are US soldiers, but who is we and which possessor does our refer to? … The fundamental problem with collectives is this: hidden under any collective are different and distinct individuals. Without starting from this elemental fact, one cannot understand the behavior of the collectives and sub-collectives that can be drawn around individuals. One cannot understand the social consequences of individual actions.” (12/06/25)
https://pierrelemieux.substack.com/p/our-killing-machines
-----
24) Europe Fires a Speech Warning
Source: Racket News
by Matt Taibbi
“The Digital Services Act, the European Commission’s content control law developed across multiple stages dating to the mid-2010s, has finally become fully operational, in Star Wars parlance. Officials announced a long-threatened €120 million (about $140 million) fine of Elon Musk’s X platform, with the major offenses being the use of a ‘deceptive’ check mark program and failure to ‘provide researchers with access to the platform’s public data.’ The fine comes at a strange time. A few weeks ago, the EC began a public campaign of walking back its biggest censorship initiatives, thanks to a growing belief that its stifling regulatory environment was costing Old-World companies a chance to compete for investment in AI technology.” (12/05/25)
https://www.racket.news/p/europe-fires-a-speech-warning
-----
25) The last act of the feature film
Source: Washington Post
by Megan McArdle
“The short story used to be a viable commercial and artistic proposition, until television killed off the pulp magazines. By the 1980s, short stories were more of a loss leader for novel writers (actual or aspiring). Today, the form is mostly the province of tiny literary magazines, and its author usually survives on grants, gigs teaching creative writing and pedestrian day jobs. I’m afraid I expect the feature film to suffer a similar fate, because everything about the medium is optimized for theaters: its visual language, its lavish production budgets and even its length (long enough to be worth leaving the house for, not so long that your butt goes numb). In the future, storytelling will be optimized for streaming into our living rooms — unless, of course, it’s optimized for YouTube and TikTok, or some other technological medium I can’t yet imagine.” (12/06/25)
https://archive.is/faLgV
-----
26) America needs to restore high standards before our schools become completely worthless
Source: New York Post
by staff
“America’s kids are paying a steep price for lower standards and less testing in schools — and there’s no obvious sign of a turnaround. It’s particularly troubling for New York kids, especially as state ‘leaders’ have decided to stop requiring passing scores on Regents exams to graduate high school starting in the 2027-’28 school year. How crucial are hard standards? Well, after colleges (in the benighted name of ‘equity’) stopped requiring SAT or ACT scores as part of the admissions process a few years back, a host of high schools evidently stopped teaching the skills needed to do well on such tests — even though such skills are vital to getting through college, and life. Kids who are unprepared don’t face consequences until it’s too late — i.e., when they’re already in college and struggling to do the work expected of them.” (12/06/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/12/06/opinion/alarming-signs-kids-are-paying-a-steep-price-for-low-standards-and-less-testing-in-schools/
-----
27) NATO ambassador: Don’t hate on the sausage before its made
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Kelley Beaucar Vlahos
“Europeans at the Doha Forum in Qatar were quite clear in their disdain for President Donald Trump’s National Security Strategy and his peace plan for Ukraine, but his ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker came out swinging in favor of both, unabashedly telling an audience Saturday that U.S. partners need to step up if they want continued support from Washington and not to criticize the sausage (peace deal) while it’s being made.” (12/06/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/us-nato-trump/
-----
28) Trump Bites the Hand That Voted for Him
Source: The Bulwark
by Will Saletan
“Donald Trump’s latest assault on immigrants — threatening to ‘denaturalize’ U.S. citizens who were born in other countries — is an affront to human rights and American values. It’s also a betrayal of the six million naturalized Americans who voted for him last year. Without their ballots, he wouldn’t be president. And if they turn against him, his party will be out of power. … if Trump thinks he can strip naturalized Americans of their citizenship, he’d better move fast. The backlash from nonwhite voters has already cost his party two governorships.” (12/05/25)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-bites-the-hand-that-voted-for-him-naturalized-immigrants-citizens
-----
29) In Haiti, soccer joy and longed-for unity
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“It’s been nearly 10 years since the people of Haiti have voted in an election – and more than 50 since this soccer-loving nation has fielded a team in the World Cup tournament. In 2026, they’ll get to do both. On Dec. 5, a few weeks after Haiti’s November qualifying victory, World Cup organizer FIFA announced group draws for the competition. Around the same time, with somewhat less fanfare, Haiti’s transitional government announced election plans. Meanwhile, the United States called on countries to support a new United Nations-approved multinational mission to quell rampant gang violence in the Caribbean island nation. Neither the World Cup berth nor the proposed international Gang Suppression Force promise easy wins for Haitians. But they hint at a possibility of parlaying the unity and persistent effort demonstrated on the soccer pitch to the arena of politics and governance.” (12/05/25)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2025/1205/In-Haiti-soccer-joy-and-longed-for-unity
-----
30) Strategy and Culture in the Graveyard of Empires
Source: Law & Liberty
by Jason Gehrke
“About two weeks after America’s final withdrawal from Kabul, Al-Qaeda issued an open letter praising ‘the Almighty, the Omnipotent,’ the one who ‘broke America’s back’ in Afghanistan ‘the graveyard of empires.’ Al-Qaeda’s boast transformed a self-fulfilling prophecy into the Taliban’s triumphant honorific, according to Choosing Defeat, a new book by Paul D. Miller, Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Georgetown University. … In his telling, the phrase ‘graveyard of empires’ haunted U.S. policymaking for twenty years. Every wartime president invoked it, as did American generals, senior civilians, defense intellectuals, and journalists. There’s only one problem: Afghanistan never was known as the graveyard of empires — not until Milt Bearden penned an article in 2001. When asked, Bearden said he ‘just came up with the name for [his] piece for Foreign Affairs.'” (12/05/25)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/strategy-and-culture-in-the-graveyard-of-empires/
-----
31) Trump’s aggression toward Venezuela a warning to Putin
Source: Fox News
by David Marcus
“President Donald Trump has seen recent setbacks in his polling numbers on many issues, but one bright spot in surveys has been his aggressive approach to Venezuela, including taking out drug cartel boats. But there is another purpose at work here, one that may help to end the war in Ukraine. What is important to understand is that Venezuela is a client state of Russia, as is Iran, and as was Syria until the recent overthrow of Bashar al-Assad. One by one, Trump has been proving that against American might, Putin cannot keep his sketchy global friends safe.” (12/06/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/david-marcus-trumps-aggression-toward-venezuela-warning-putin
-----
32) “The Worst of the Worst”
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson
“[T]he Trump administration has its agents arresting green card applicants as they show up for their final meeting. These are not ‘the worst of the worst’ as Donald Trump likes to put it: One was a British mother with her 4-month-old baby in her arms. (The New York Times has the whole ugly story.) These people were not accused of having entered the country illegally or of violating U.S. immigration law in some way other than following a legal process that takes a long time and creates ambiguities. Some of them were shipped off to detention centers. Why are federal agents arresting these people? Because they are the easiest people to arrest …. Some strategy: Abuse the weak, the vulnerable, and the law-abiding — chasing down the actual malefactors is too much work.” (12/05/25)
https://thedispatch.com/article/immigration-criminals-green-card-arrests-trump/
-----
33) Sudan, Venezuela, And Other Notes
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“The Guardian has a report out which says that at least 60,000 people were murdered by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) when they captured El Fasher in October, which would be the largest single massacre since Rwanda in 1994. Just in the last few days the RSF have reportedly killed 46 children and scores of adults in suicide drone attacks. These massacres are made possible by the United Arab Emirates, who have been funneling weapons to the RSF through a complex international supply chain. Much like the Saudi-led genocide in Yemen from 2015 to 2022 (which the UAE also participated in), this is yet another instance of a tyrannical Gulf state monarchy committing unfathomable atrocities while its friends in Washington look the other way.” (12/07/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/12/07/sudan-venezuela-and-other-notes/
-----
34) Socialism Through Regulation
Source: Independent Institute
by Scott Beyer
“Government regulations are sold to the public as protective measures put in place to safeguard consumer health and welfare. And sometimes they do. But as we’ve discussed in this column, they often protect incumbent business interests from competition by making it harder for new or smaller competitors to enter the market. Then there’s a less discussed third intention — one that reflects the incentives of the regulators themselves: growing the government for its own sake.” (12/05/25)
https://www.independent.org/article/2025/12/05/socialism-through-regulation/
-----
35) Tax Assessor, House-Nabber
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“In 1994, Scott Pung won exemption from a school tax. He died in 2004. But years later, a local tax assessor contended that his widow, now also deceased, should have submitted new paperwork to retain the exemption. … The estate’s administrator, Mike Pung, got nowhere trying to explain things to the tax assessor. So he brought his case to the Michigan Tax Tribunal. The tribunal ruled in favor of the Pungs. Didn’t matter. When Mike paid the property taxes for 2012, the assessor called it an underpayment, since payment for the tax that the Pungs did not owe had not been included. Mike still refused to pay the school tax. So the county grabbed the home that it had assessed at $200,000 and auctioned it for $76,000 to recover the amount of that tax.” (12/05/25)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2025/12/05/tax-assessor-house-nabber/
-----
36) There Is No “Axis of Authoritarianism”
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“Venezuela obviously poses no threat to the U.S. on its own. That is why interventionists have been going out of their way to hype the connections with great power rivals. The trouble for the fearmongers is that the connections are much more tenuous and much less significant than they have claimed. There has been increased military cooperation between some of these authoritarian states, but except for Russia and North Korea none of it comes close to a formal treaty alliance. Hawks want the public to believe that there is a grand anti-American coalition forming around the world to menace the U.S. to sell the same braindead aggressive policies they have always favored. Whenever the U.S. threatens or attacks one of these states, we see that there is no coalition.” (12/05/25)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/there-is-no-axis-of-authoritarianism
-----
37) Time for a Midterm Contract With America
Source: Town Hall
by Terry Paulson
“President Trump will not be on the ballot to help Republicans in the midterm elections, but his administration’s promises for his final two years should be. For a critical election, Newt Gingrich rallied Republican candidates to come together with a Contract with America that helped win the day. The contrast between the Republican and Democratic parties has never been greater. Most Americans are tired of the personal political attacks, but they may again be ready to listen to what these warring parties will actually do if voters deliver them a midterm victory. Let’s be honest, Donald Trump is a can-do President. He took four years to prepare the campaign promises his administration would start delivering on day one. His team works every day to do just that, and the results are amazing.” (12/06/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/terrypaulson/2025/12/06/time-for-a-midterm-contract-with-america-n2667474
-----
38) Implications of Academic Dishonesty
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“No single academic knows enough to base his conclusion solely on his own work and expertise. Each of them is relying on information produced by many others. … What happens if each of those experts feels entitled, even obligated, to lie just a little, to shade his conclusions to strengthen the support they provide for what he believes is the right conclusion? Each of them then interprets the work of all the others as providing more support for that conclusion than it really does. The result might be that they end up biasing their results in support of the wrong conclusion, which each of them believes is right on the basis of the lies of all the others.” (12/05/25)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/implications-of-academic-dishonesty-2e2
-----
39) The Military As A Murder Weapon
Source: The Weekly Dish
by Andrew Sullivan
“No president ever pardoned a soldier for war crimes before Donald Trump. Yes, there were broad Confederate amnesties that effectively forgave Civil War atrocities, but no pardons. Even Nixon merely lessened and commuted the sentence of the My Lai commander found guilty of civilian mass murder. But in his first term, Trump pardoned three men very credibly accused by their own troops of wantonly killing unarmed civilians — and one convicted of posing with a man he’d just murdered. Their chief lobbyist? [Pete] Hegseth. … Yes, murdering a few bad guys on a boat in cold blood may sound like a trivial thing. But the principles it violates are about as profound as you can get. This kind of murder is not a defense of the West. It’s an attack on it.” (12/05/25)
https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/the-military-as-a-murder-weapon-cbd
-----
40) Bigger Government Means Bigger Fraud: Minnesota’s Billion-Dollar Lesson in Incentives
Source: The Daily Economy
by Saul Zimet
‘Minnesota’s largest-ever food-aid scandal reveals how weak incentives, political pressure, and lax oversight enable public-sector fraud to flourish — costing taxpayers billions.” (12/05/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/bigger-government-means-bigger-fraud-minnesotas-billion-dollar-lesson-in-incentives/
-----
41) For Trump, Authoritarian Saudi Arabia Is Good, But Authoritarian Iran & Venezuela Are Bad
Source: Common Dreams
by Miles Mogulescu
“While President Donald Trump and many of America’s top corporate CEOs were bowing down in Washington to Saudi absolute monarch Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Trump administration was busy escalating (unauthorized and illegal) military actions against Venezuela with the apparent goal of regime change. Last summer, it bombed Iran, killing over 1,000 civilians, in a failed attempt to destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons potential. The US insists Venezuela and Iran are enemies in part because of authoritarian governments and human rights violations. But Saudi Arabia is one of the most authoritarian states in the world, marked by an absolute monarchy, tight control over political expression, and severe penalties for dissent.” (12/06/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/nader-open-letter-to-mamdani
-----
42) Why are utilities building tomorrow’s grid with yesterday’s technology?
Source: Niskanen Center
by Rachel Levine
“The U.S. must rapidly expand its high-voltage transmission system to keep electricity affordable and reliable over the coming decade. After years of nearly stagnant development, any interest in transmission buildout among grid operators is encouraging. Yet, even amid this renewed momentum, utilities nationwide continue to embrace alternating current transmission, a 19th century innovation, instead of embracing modern and commercially viable high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology.” [editor’s note: “Grids” themselves are yesterday’s technology. Tomorrow’s technology is decentralized local generation, not “improved” long-distance transmission – TLK] (12/05/25)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/why-are-utilities-building-tomorrows-grid-with-yesterdays-technology
-----
43) Venezuela, History, and the Futile Quest for Regime Change
Source: CounterPunch
by David Schultz
“Philosophers from Immanuel Kant to George Santayana warned that history repeats itself because we fail to heed its lessons. So it is with the Trump administration and its plan for regime change in Venezuela. Even if it succeeds in ousting Nicolás Maduro, the result will almost certainly mirror the failures of Afghanistan and Iraq under the Bush and Biden administrations.” (12/05/25)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/12/05/venezuela-history-and-the-futile-quest-for-regime-change/
-----
44) Europe’s Innovation Is Drowned in a Sea of Government Intervention
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Mihai Macovei
“Europe became prosperous through a burst of innovation and capital accumulation during the eighteenth-century industrial revolution that allowed individual freedom to replace feudalistic rents and privileges. A new industrial revolution based on digitalization, advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and automation is in the making, but the reputed analyst Wolfgang Münchau claims that Europe is about to miss it. In his view, Europe has forgotten how to innovate, because it may still have the aptitude, but it has lost the right attitude to foster creative destruction. Münchau and other analysts put down this failure on European government’s inability to pick winners like China or capitalize on military investment like the US, in order to promote cutting-edge technologies and research. In our view this is wrong – Europe does not need more and better targeted government intervention, but considerably less.” (12/05/25)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/europes-innovation-drowned-sea-government-intervention
-----
45) The War on Pete Hegseth
Source: American Greatness
by Cynical Publius
“I have had enough. I can no longer sit still while the Deep State does its very best to smear Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and have him removed from his post via lies, rumors, propaganda, and innuendo. It feels exactly like version 2.0 of the ‘Trump/Russia Collusion’ disinformation campaign, and it needs to be called out for what it is. Enough. I am here to defend the best Secretary of War/Defense since Caspar Weinberger. What we have seen in the last few weeks is clearly an orchestrated, carefully constructed character assassination campaign against Hegseth. The campaign began in the early days of November when the leaders of the Sedition 6 introduced legislation known as the ‘No Troops in Our Streets Act,’ legislation clearly designed to undermine the roles of President Trump and Secretary Hegseth in the military chain of command.” [editor’s note: I learned some Latin today — “Publius,” in English, obviously means “idiot” – TLK] (12/05/25)
https://amgreatness.com/2025/12/05/the-war-on-pete-hegseth/
-----
46) Spain’s Courtroom Politics
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Mark Nayler
“If there is a threat to democracy in Spain, it’s not from the ‘far right,’ that mysterious force to which Socialist prime minister Pedro Sánchez wants to attribute all the country’s problems. Recent developments have highlighted two issues that are causing much more damage to public trust in democratic institutions—namely, the politicization of the judiciary, or ‘lawfare,’ and financial corruption. Lawfare is alleged to be the reason for an unprecedented ruling against Spain’s former attorney general; while a massive fraud case centered on 95-year-old Jordi Pujol, president of Catalonia from 1980 to 2003, has tarnished the reputation of a once-revered politician.” (12/05/25)
https://fee.org/articles/spains-courtroom-politics/
-----
47) Home schooling — enemy of government?
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton
“Fifty-sixty years ago, no one had ever heard of home schooling here in the States. It wasn’t necessarily nonexistent, but incredibly rare. You might find the occasional rancher or forest ranger or other remote family teaching their own children, but truancy (mandatory attendance) laws, tradition, and above all, public perception looked upon such things as horrible and totally unacceptable. Even parochial (Catholic) and other private (religious or not) schools were seen by the mainstream and general public as tolerated but weird. And rare. Many State constitutions enshrined the idea of ‘free tuition’ – that is, public schools. Then came a combination of measures and events which started gradually to change that. Indeed, to create the modern-day homeschooling movement.” (12/05/25)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2025/12/05/home-schooling-enemy-of-government/
-----
48) Housing: Supply vs. Quantity
Source: EconLog
by David Hebert
“If there’s one thing we can count on in America, it’s that our elected officials will see an affordability crisis and respond to it by stimulating the demand side of the market. Today, we’re seeing this in the case of the housing industry, with Administration officials floating both a new (and improved!) 50-year mortgage and a portable mortgage. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says that both of these will help break the ‘logjam’ of owners who are stuck with their 3% mortgages and are reluctant to move, which will help with the affordability ‘crisis’ in the American housing market. After all, if more houses come on the market for sale, won’t that push prices down? This statement belies a fundamental misunderstanding of the difference between supply and quantity supplied.” (12/05/25)
https://www.econlib.org/econlog/housing-supply-vs-quantity
-----
49) Netflix Aims for Entertainment Domination
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“In progressive circles, there is a great fear about the consolidation of Hollywood and the broader media into the hands of allies of MAGA. ABC’s capitulation to Trump is well documented. Larry Ellison’s son David bought Paramount: Stephen Colbert was suddenly off the air, and Bari Weiss was running CBS News. Oracle, Ellison’s company, is the main benefactor of the still-pending TikTok acquisition from its Chinese parent. And Paramount made several overtures to Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) to buy the company, consolidate its TV and film studios along with its array of cable channels under one roof, and put a conservative oligarch family in charge of CBS, CNN, and a large segment of American entertainment and media. But WBD decided to look at other offers. And today, they chose the higher-value bid: an $82.7 billion merger with Netflix.” (12/05/25)
https://prospect.org/2025/12/05/netflix-warner-bros-entertainment-domination/
-----
50) Washington didn’t cross Delaware to create a theocracy
Source: Orange County Register
by Steven Greenhut
“Most people see America as an experiment in classical liberalism, whereby the founders created a system of limited government, religious pluralism and liberty. Religious leaders are free to spread their message through the culture — but not to take control of the levers of power and base lawmaking on their sectarian Bible interpretations. The Constitution protects everyone’s natural rights, with its main purpose limiting the sphere of government — not implementing rules to assure proper religious observance. There really is no other way to seriously read our Constitution, but many religious people still argue the founders were Christians who envisioned a Christian nation.” (12/05/25)
https://archive.is/hB2aO
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Unattended Baggage, episode 320
Source: Unattended Baggage
“Yep, that’s a War Crime.” (12/06/25)
https://unattendedbaggage.substack.com/p/episode-320-yep-thats-a-war-crime
-----
52) The Good Fight, 12/06/25
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Richard Thaler on Why People are Much More Irrational than Economists Believe.” (12/06/25)
https://yaschamounk.substack.com/p/richard-thaler
-----
53) What America Can Learn From Japanese Housing
Source: Reason
“On housing policy, America needs to be less fascist King Kong and more free-market Godzilla.” (12/05/25)
https://reason.com/2025/12/05/what-america-can-learn-from-japanese-housing/
-----
54) Serious Trouble, 12/05/25
Source: Serious Trouble
‘Lindsey Halligan is not a US Attorney, which is a problem; a Georgia official puts the Trump RICO case out of its misery; Megan Thee Stallion wins her lawsuit, sort of.” (12/05/25)
https://www.serioustrouble.show/p/cases-dismissed
-----
55) The Dispatch Podcast, 12/05/25
Source: The Dispatch
“Steve Hayes invites Jonah Goldberg, David French, and Kevin Williamson to discuss the ‘double tap’ order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that may violate the laws of war. Is this another issue where Trump can ‘win’ because we’re an outcomes-over-process society?” (12/05/25)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/dispatch-podcast/corrupting-influences-roundtable/
-----
56) The Climate Realism Show, episode 184
Source: Heartland Institute
“Good News: Climate Cult In Decline.” (12/05/25)
https://heartland.org/podcasts/good-news-climate-cult-in-decline-the-climate-realism-show-184-2/
-----
57) The Lou Perez Podcast, 12/06/25
Source: Lions of Liberty
“Gun Censorship w/ Armanet’s Ibrahim Pataudi.” (12/06/25)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/tlpp-gun-censorship-w-armanets-ibrahim-pataudi
-----
58) The Tom Woods Show, episode 2715
Source: The Tom Woods Show
“Not Stolen: The Truth About European Colonialism in the New World.” (12/05/25)
https://tomwoods.com/ep-2715-not-stolen-the-truth-about-european-colonialism-in-the-new-world/
-----
59) System Update, episode 554
Source: System Update
“Glenn Answers Your Questions on an Un-American Candidate in TX, Escalating War with Venezuela, Trump’s Loyalty to Miriam Adelson, and More.” (12/05/25)
https://rumble.com/v72naxo-system-update-show-554.html
-----
60) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 12/05/25
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“The ‘Golden Age’ of Job Layoffs?” (12/05/25)
https://rumble.com/v72mzug-the-golden-age-of-job-layoffs.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FND is published every weekday except on holidays. Forward freely.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit:
http://groups.google.com/group/freedom-news-daily
Support the Liberty International (tax deductible)
https://liberty-intl.org/join-the-movement/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages