06/12 -- Iran war: Trump claims deal is close (again), Iranians say not really (again); FISA Fail: A Good First Step, But Hold Off on the Celebration
7 views
Skip to first unread message
Thomas L. Knapp
Jun 12, 2026, 6:21:23 AMJun 12
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 06/12/26
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Presented by the Liberty International
https://liberty-intl.org/
Produced by the staff of Rational Review News Digest
More News, More Commentary, More Audio/Video at Our Web Edition!
https://news.rationalreview.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's Freedom News:
1) Iran war: Trump claims deal is close (again), Iranians say not really (again)
2) Ukraine war: Three killed in mutual attacks
3) South Korea: Yoon sentenced to 30 more years over Pyongyang drone plot
4) Trump names new spy chief after pushback over previous pick
5) UK, Australian, Canadian regimes launch $4 million fund for Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts
6) US House rejects last-ditch FISA extension ahead of Friday deadline
7) Sudanese paramilitary drone strikes kill at least 15 people in central region, officials say
8) US Jobless Aid Filings Rise to 229,000
9) European Central Bank hikes interest rates for first time since 2023 as Iran war ramps up energy costs
10) UK: Healey resigns as defense secretary, accuses regime of not spending enough on military
11) Pentagon on lockdown, hazmat crews rush in over “hazardous materials incident”
12) Lawyers: US regime plans to deport abducted refugees to “do not go there” country
13) CA: Amid explosive fraud probe, Trump admin yanks funding from LA homeless agency
14) Canada: Idiot pols fantasize that they can ban social media use for youth under 16
15) Convicted killer’s family used fundraiser money for moving & living expenses
16) Saudi Arabia: Regime ends ban on Lebanese exports
17) Historic US-Canada border library gets new Quebec-only entrance
18) Trump directs Pulte to downsize agency
19) Alabama regime asks SCOTUS to allow it to kill prisoner
20) FL: Suspect dead after attempted robbery ends in shooting
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) FISA Fail: A Good First Step, But Hold Off on the Celebration
22) Iran Is Now More Dangerous Than Ever
23) Magnifica Humanitas, AI, and the State
24) The Economist Who Wants To Make the World Poorer
25) US Empire Managers View Iranian Sovereignty As An Act Of Aggression
26) Trillionaire Welfare Baby Elon Musk Is Born!
27) Pete Hegseth’s D-Day speech gave Europe a spot-on warning – be smart or be invaded
28) The Truth Is Simple: Democrats [and Republicans – TLK] Don’t Care About Anything but Gaining Power
29) When It Really is Racist to Talk About Racial Gaps
30) Nostalgia
31) In Syria, hope continues to bloom
32) Jump the Inflation
33) Trump and Co.’s Bumbling Attempt to Rob US Taxpayers Is Backfiring
34) Standing Downstream from Dobbs
35) US Citizens Must Stop the Madness Their Empire Imposes on Them and the World
36) Did New Deal Spending End the Great Depression?
37) How American Progressives Influenced Hitler
38) An Unwarranted War, a Global Economic Drag
39) It must be June, as hysterical leftists [sic] whine they want to pack SCOTUS
40) Politics never does kill what doesn’t work, does it?
41) Why a single “peace deal” for Ukraine war just won’t work
42) The Iran War’s Hidden Tax on American Households
43) Whose Privacy Rights Are They Anyway?
44) You Can’t Blame Netanyahu for Israel’s Militarism
45) How to Raise Birth Rates
46) The FDA Finally Approved a New Sunscreen Ingredient. It Only Took Over 25 Years.
47) Attacking Iran Has Nothing to Do with Self-Defense
48) Immigration Laws Are Made to Be Broken
49) The Threat of Big Insurance
50) For now, censorship stays at the University of Alabama
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Pink Flame of Liberty, 06/11/26
52) Dangerous History Podcast, episode 288
53) Cato Podcast, 06/11/26
54) Underthrow Podcast, 06/11/26
55) Show-Me Institute Podcast, 06/11/26
56) The Smartphone, A Modern Miracle of Free Trade
57) The Blessings of Liberty with Jeffrey Rosen, 06/11/26
58) Homeschool Workshop, 06/10/26
59) Kibbe on Liberty, episode 390
60) The Science of Politics, 06/10/26
61) Questions For Corbett, 06/10/26
62) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/10/26
63) Half the Answer, episode 87
64) Soho Forum Debate: Should ICE Deport All Illegal Aliens?
65) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 06/10/26
vvvvv SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS vvvvv
THE CONSTITUTION OF NON-STATE GOVERNMENT: FIELD GUIDE TO TEXAS SECESSION (2nd edition), by TL Hulsey
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1883853117
Tyranny Demands AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE: A NOVEL BY ERNE LEWIS
https://tinyurl.com/actofselfdefense
HOW INDEPENDENT ARE "YOUR" CONGRESS/SENATE MEMBERS?
https://congressionalindependence.deathbutt.org/
SAMUEL EDWARD KONKIN III REVOLUTIONARY FRIEND BY WENDY MCELROY
https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Edward-Konkin-Revolutionary-Friend-ebook/dp/B0DP7B6127
SHARE YOUR OPINIONS. EARN POINTS. REDEEM POINTS FOR AWARDS
https://account.yougov.com/us-en/join?referral=eAi-FP2i9s1Jzb5lj2zw5A
^^^^^ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ^^^^^
_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Iran war: Trump claims deal is close (again), Iranians say not really (again)
Source: Independent [UK]
“Iran has denied that the US and Tehran have finalised all points in peace negotiations, as claimed by Donald Trump, reiterating that the regime will not compromise on its ‘red lines.’ Speaking to Iranian state TV: ‘We have not reached a final conclusion on this matter. This is a very important issue that is currently being reviewed by the relevant decision-making bodies.’ It comes after Donald Trump walked back his threat to strike Iran ‘hard’ last night, citing progress being made in peace negotiations. The US president said he ‘cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening.’ He added that ‘discussions and final points’ have been ‘approved by all parties involved.’ He later told reporters that a deal could be signed as soon as this weekend.” (06/12/26)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-us-war-live-trump-airstrikes-threat-israel-hormuz-deal-b2994438.html
-----
2) Ukraine war: Three killed in mutual attacks
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Three people have been killed in the border region between Russia and Ukraine, according to officials, as the two sides launched attacks on each other in the latest exchange of fire. In Russia, two civilians were killed and two wounded in the region of Bryansk after Kyiv struck the settlement of Suzemka with artillery, Acting Governor Egor Kovalchuk said in a post on Telegram on Friday. A drone also hit an apartment building in Russia’s central region of Tatarstan, injuring three people …. In Ukraine, a drone attack in the border region of Sumy caused casualties. A 44-year-old woman working as a rail station operator died on her way to a shelter during the strike, according to the head of Ukrainian Railways, Oleksandr Pertsovkyi. Another woman, a station attendant, was wounded in the attack, Pertsovkyi added. Three people were wounded in separate attacks on Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region.” (06/12/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/12/three-killed-as-ukraine-and-russia-exchange-cross-border-attacks
-----
3) South Korea: Yoon sentenced to 30 more years over Pyongyang drone plot
Source: CNN
“A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison on Friday over charges linked to military drones sent over Pyongyang to help create a pretext for his failed December 2024 martial law declaration, Yonhap reported. The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of abuse of power and aiding the enemy, saying he had conspired in the October 2024 drone incursion from the outset, the news agency said. Yoon denied wrongdoing. His lawyers said he neither ordered nor later approved the operation, which they said was unrelated to martial law and instead a response to months of North Korean launches across the border of balloons stuffed with rubbish. … In February, a South Korean court sentenced Yoon to life in prison after finding him guilty of leading an insurrection linked to the martial law attempt.” (06/11/26)
https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/11/asia/south-korean-yoon-suk-yeol-drone-case-jail-intl-hnk
-----
4) Trump names new spy chief after pushback over previous pick
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“US President Donald Trump has named the top federal prosecutor in New York to be the nation’s most senior spy chief, after lawmakers in Congress objected to his previous choice due to lack of relevant experience. Jay Clayton is currently serving as US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and is overseeing several prominent cases, including the drug trafficking case against former Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro. On Thursday, Trump tapped him to be the next director of national intelligence, the country’s top spy chief who oversees 18 government intelligence agencies. Outgoing Director Tulsi Gabbard’s last day is 30 June.” (06/11/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy497vjmd4wo
-----
5) UK, Australian, Canadian regimes launch $4 million fund for Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts
Source: Reuters
“Britain, Australia and Canada on Thursday launched a peace fund to complement broader efforts towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with each country contributing £1 million ($1.34 million) to the initiative. … The fund will focus on new and existing grassroots projects – particularly those that include youth groups, civil society organisations and women. The £3 million fund will seek to scale up and attract additional donors once operational.” (06/11/26)
https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-australia-canada-launch-4-million-fund-israeli-palestinian-peace-efforts-2026-06-10/
-----
6) US House rejects last-ditch FISA extension ahead of Friday deadline
Source: Axios
“The House rejected a short-term extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act on Thursday, putting the government’s foreign surveillance authority on track to expire. A standoff over President Trump’s decision to install Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence has jeopardized what lawmakers in both parties consider one of the government’s most important intelligence tools. The vast majority of House Democrats opposed the extension through July 2, along with dozens of conservatives who are upset about a lack of reforms. The vote was 198-218. If Congress doesn’t act, Section 702 will lapse Friday.” (06/11/26)
https://archive.is/p0sBN
-----
7) Sudanese paramilitary drone strikes kill at least 15 people in central region, officials say
Source: ABC News
“Sudanese paramilitary forces carried out drone strikes overnight in central Sudan, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens, health officials said Thursday, as the use of unmanned aircraft becomes increasingly common in the more than three-year war in the African country. The attacks, which started late Wednesday, targeted various areas of the city of el-Obeid, including near an army position, according to two health officials at el-Obed Hospital, which received the victims. More than 10 people were also wounded, some critically, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The war in Sudan erupted in April 2023, after long-simmering tensions between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF. The conflict has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced some 13 million, and pushed many parts of the country into famine.” (06/11/26)
https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/sudanese-paramilitary-drone-strikes-kill-15-people-central-133784827
-----
8) US Jobless Aid Filings Rise to 229,000
Source: US News & World Report
“U.S. applications for jobless aid rose modestly last week, but remain at a historically low level despite economic headwinds brought on by the war in Iran. The number of Americans filing for unemployment aid for the week ending June 6 rose by 4,000 to 229,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s the most since early February, before the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran, but still considered a healthy level. It’s also more than the 216,000 new applications forecast by analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet. Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.” (06/11/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2026-06-11/us-jobless-aid-filings-rise-to-229-000-last-week-remain-historically-low-despite-iran-war-headwinds
-----
9) European Central Bank hikes interest rates for first time since 2023 as Iran war ramps up energy costs
Source: CNBC
“The European Central Bank announced a quarter-point rate hike on Thursday, bringing its key interest rate to 2.25% as the Iran war continues to blow inflation off target. Markets had been pricing in a near-100% chance of the ECB raising rates by at least 25 basis points ahead of its June Governing Council meeting, according to LSEG data. The ECB’s Governing Council said the decision had been made in a bid to ward off inflationary pressures generated by the U.S.-Iran war.” (06/11/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/11/ecb-hikes-interest-rates.html
-----
10) UK: Healey resigns as defense secretary, accuses regime of not spending enough on military
Source: Independent [UK]
“John Healey has dramatically resigned as defence secretary, warning Sir Keir Starmer that his defence investment plan (Dip) ‘falls well short of what is required.’ His shock resignation comes amid mounting tensions within the Cabinet over the publication of the long-delayed plan, which will set out how new equipment and defence infrastructure will be funded in the next decade. In his resignation letter to the prime minister – which he said he ‘never expected to write’ – Mr Healey accused Sir Keir and the chancellor of having been ‘unwilling to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats.'” (06/11/26)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/john-healey-resigns-defence-secretary-spending-plan-latest-news-b2993909.html
-----
11) Pentagon on lockdown, hazmat crews rush in over “hazardous materials incident”
Source: New York Post
“The Pentagon is on lockdown Thursday as emergency workers respond to the Department of War’s headquarters for ‘a hazardous materials incident,’ Arlington County Fire and EMS said in a post to X. ‘ACFD units, including our Hazardous Materials Team, are currently operating at the Pentagon in support of PFPA’s Hazmat Team during a hazardous materials incident,’ it said. Building systems detected an ‘air quality issue,’ which prompted a shelter-in-place order, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. ‘The Pentagon has sophisticated systems to ensure the safety of the building and its occupants,’ Parnell said. ‘Those systems have detected an air quality issue necessitating precautionary measures until we determine its significance. The Department is executing standard protection protocols, including a shelter-in-place order for the affected area. Response teams are in place and ready to support building occupants.'” (06/11/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/06/11/us-news/pentagon-on-lockdown-hazmat-crews-rush-in-over-hazardous-materials-incident/
-----
12) Lawyers: US regime plans to deport abducted refugees to “do not go there” country
Source: New York Times
“The Trump administration is preparing to deport nearly two dozen people to the Central African Republic on Thursday, including at least two Iranian women who had sought refuge in the United States, according to lawyers and a government official. The flight, which is also expected to include migrants from Afghanistan and Syria, would mark the first such deportation to the Central African Republic, a deeply impoverished country that has been plagued by conflict. The country is so dangerous that the U.S. State Department states on its website, ‘do not travel for any reason.’ At least some of the migrants have received court orders in the United States prohibiting their deportation to their home countries because of the threat of persecution or torture, their lawyers said. … The Trump administration is working to find ways to deport people despite these court orders.” (06/11/26)
https://archive.is/ujwYy
-----
13) CA: Amid explosive fraud probe, Trump admin yanks funding from LA homeless agency
Source: Fox News
“A top Trump agency is cutting off funding to the Los Angeles agency responsible for coordinating billions in homelessness spending after accusing it of ‘obvious fraud,’ ‘wanton mismanagement’ and repeated failures to safeguard taxpayer dollars, Fox News Digital has learned. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which is a member of the White House fraud task force led by Vice President JD Vance, is immediately suspending the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s (LAHSA) federal funding while HUD’s inspector general investigates potential offenses by the agency and its leadership, according to a letter sent to LAHSA’s board chair Wendy Greuel and its CEO Gita O’Neill, which was obtained and reviewed by Fox News Digital. The letter detailed conflicts of interest, financial mismanagement, fraud, lack of oversight, and more from the homelessness agency, which has faced efforts by the city and county to take it over.” (06/11/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-admin-yanks-funding-la-homeless-agency-explosive-fraud-investigation
-----
14) Canada: Idiot pols fantasize that they can ban social media use for youth under 16
Source: Seattle Times
“Canada is joining a growing list of countries seeking to protect [sic] young people from harm [sic] online by restricting their access to social media platforms. The Canadian government Wednesday introduced a new digital safety [sic] proposal that would require users to verify that they are [capable of faking being] at least 16 to access websites such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. A new regulator called the Digital Safety Commission of Canada would administer the proposed measures, officials said.” (06/11/26)
https://archive.is/0kB9Z
-----
15) Convicted killer’s family used fundraiser money for moving & living expenses
Source: Fox News
“Karmelo Anthony will serve his sentence while it appears the fundraising campaign for his family organized by his mother, Kala Hayes, has been taken down. Anthony was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years behind bars on Tuesday. He has since filed a notice of appeal to challenge the conviction. He said in his appeal that he cannot afford a new lawyer, WFAA reported. Those documents say, Anthony is a ‘penniless, destitute, and indigent person, too poor to employ counsel to represent me on the appeal,’ according to the outlet. The fundraiser was posted on GiveSendGo, an international crowdfunding platform, on April 15, 2025. It was less than two weeks after Anthony fatally stabbed 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas. All the while, the fundraiser for Anthony and his family, titled, ‘Help Karmelo Official Fund,’ initially had a goal of generating nearly $1.4 million, and raised just shy of $634,000.” (06/11/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/us/convicted-killer-karmelo-anthony-family-used-fundraiser-money-moving-living-expenses
-----
16) Saudi Arabia: Regime ends ban on Lebanese exports
Source: The New Arab [UK]
“Saudi Arabia is to allow the resumption of Lebanese exports to the kingdom, its official press agency reported on Wednesday, ending a years-long ban on the goods imposed amid concerns over the influence of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Saudi de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the resumption ‘in accordance with the positive steps taken by the Lebanese government,’ the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. … In April 2021, the kingdom suspended fruit and vegetable imports from Lebanon, asserting shipments were being used for drug-smuggling and accusing Beirut of inaction.” (06/11/26)
https://www.newarab.com/news/saudi-arabia-ends-years-long-ban-lebanese-exports
-----
17) Historic US-Canada border library gets new Quebec-only entrance
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“The Haskell Free Library and Opera House, a landmark community institution built deliberately across the Canada–US border in 1904 so neighbours could share books and performances, has opened a new Canada-only entrance. This comes after the Trump administration limited access for individuals entering from Canada, barring them from using the library’s original main entrance, situated in Vermont on the US side of the border. For more than a century, visitors from both countries moved freely through the building, crossing the international border marked by a strip of black tape on the floor. But tighter US security rules effectively closed the historic shared entrance to Canadian visitors in October 2025. The new entrance, created from a former emergency exit on the Canadian side, was a costly project funded in part through community fundraising.” (06/11/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/clyrvrde160o
-----
18) Trump directs Pulte to downsize agency
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“United States President Donald Trump has directed Bill Pulte to cut staff at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) as soon as he takes up his role as acting intelligence chief. The order came in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, in which Trump doubled down on his choice of Pulte, a controversial pick. … A businessman with ties to construction and private equity, Pulte has no intelligence or military background, and critics see him as a Trump loyalist who has attacked the president’s critics. In Wednesday’s post, Trump did emphasise he was already searching for Pulte’s successor.” (06/10/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/10/trump-directs-interim-us-intelligence-chief-bill-pulte-to-downsize-agency
-----
19) Alabama regime asks SCOTUS to allow it to kill prisoner
Source: SFGate
“Alabama is waging a last-minute legal fight to [kill] a man with nitrogen gas on Thursday night, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to set aside a judge’s finding that the method violates the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Jeffery Lee, 49, is scheduled to be executed at 6 p.m. Thursday. However, a federal judge on Tuesday ruled that nitrogen executions are unconstitutional and blocked the state from using the method to put Lee to death. The state filed an appeal Thursday asking the Supreme Court to set aside the ruling and allow the execution. ‘If that ruling stands, it would be unprecedented in American history. Not only does it portend the first-ever permanent ban on a legislatively enacted method, but it would expand the concept of cruelty well beyond the bounds of the Eighth Amendment,’ lawyers with the Alabama attorney general’s office wrote.” (06/11/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/alabama-asks-appeals-court-to-let-it-continue-22300426.php
-----
20) FL: Suspect dead after attempted robbery ends in shooting
Source: WSVN News
“A Miami Gardens resident opened fire after his next-door neighbor alerted him about an armed attempted robbery overnight, killing the subject, police said. Miami Gardens Police units responded to reports of a shooting …. ‘Upon arrival, we found the subject of an armed robbery on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head,’ said Miami Gardens Police spokesperson Diana Delgado. The subject was transported to [HCA Florida Aventura Hospital] where he was later pronounced deceased, according to Delgado. According to investigators, an intruder who was attempting to rob a home awakened a couple residing there at around 1:30 a.m. Investigators said the female victim, the homeowner’s girlfriend, ran to her next-door neighbor’s home for help. Shortly after, the neighbor retrieved a firearm and came to the couple’s home. ‘That neighbor fired his weapon, striking the subject in the head,’ said Delgado.” (06/09/26)
https://wsvn.com/news/local/miami-dade/subject-dead-after-attempted-robbery-at-miami-gardens-home-ends-in-shooting-police-say/
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) FISA Fail: A Good First Step, But Hold Off on the Celebration
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“FISA was always terrible, and section 702 always made it even worse. I’m glad it failed of re-passage. It needs to die in a fire, permanently. But there’s nothing really to celebrate here, because we’ve known — since at least as far back as 2013 — how the US regime operates with regard to its surveillance powers. If the US regime doesn’t like the law, it breaks the law. If US regime figures are asked (under oath) about breaking the law, they deny (under oath) breaking the law. If a whistleblower outs the evidence that the US regime is breaking the law, the US regime charges the whistleblower with espionage and chases him out of the country, while the perjurers continue their skulduggery without penalty or punishment.” (06/11/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20694
-----
22) Iran Is Now More Dangerous Than Ever
Source: Foreign Policy
by Rob Geist Pinfold
“U.S. President Donald Trump’s reason for launching a ‘special military operation’ against Iran in February remains disputed. But the United States’[s] broad goals were clear: compel Iran, which the 2025 National Security Strategy labeled as ‘the region’s chief destabilizing force,’ to abandon its sponsorship of a regional network of violent nonstate actors and curtail its nuclear program. In short, the United States sought to force Iran to comprehensively overhaul its grand strategy, through either regime change or a deal. To understand how badly this effort has failed, it’s important to understand how Iran’s grand strategy has shifted.” (06/11/26)
https://archive.is/vclJ1
-----
23) Magnifica Humanitas, AI, and the State
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Ulrich Fromy
“The encyclical Magnifica Humanitas by Pope Leo XIV is a remarkable text in many ways. It recognizes the dangers of technological concentration and the threat that large private platforms pose to human dignity. The text warns of ‘social control made possible by the massive collection of data and use of algorithmic systems’ and speaks of ‘the architecture of visibility.’ However, it has a blind spot: it does not dare to name states as possible architects of these surveillance structures.” (06/11/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/magnifica-humanitas-ai-and-state
-----
24) The Economist Who Wants To Make the World Poorer
Source: Reason
by Veronique de Rugy
“Thomas Piketty’s plan is a comprehensive program for global managed decline dressed up in the language of climate justice and equality.” (06/11/25)
https://reason.com/2026/06/11/the-economist-who-wants-to-make-the-world-poorer/
-----
25) US Empire Managers View Iranian Sovereignty As An Act Of Aggression
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday that the US is going to be launching major strikes in Iran, while President Trump says he’ll ‘bomb the shit out of’ the Iranians if they don’t agree to a deal of his liking. … Meanwhile the US war machine is acting like a poor widdle victim and claiming it’s only bombing Iran in order to defend itself from unwarranted aggression. CENTCOM released a statement on Wednesday saying ‘U.S. Central Command forces began launching additional self-defense strikes today’ …. Yep, sure, I know what that’s like. I just drove across town to break into someone’s house and he tried to stop me from pouring gasoline all over his living room, so I had to kill him in self-defense.” (06/11/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/06/11/us-empire-managers-view-iranian-sovereignty-as-an-act-of-aggression-and-other-notes/
-----
26) Trillionaire Welfare Baby Elon Musk Is Born!
Source: Common Dreams
by Corbin Trent
“SpaceX goes public Friday at around $1.7 trillion. Elon Musk owns enough SpaceX stock that, on top of everything else he holds, Musk becomes the first person in human history to cross the trillion-dollar line. The coverage will be all hype. Unprecedented. A genius. Where’s he going next? What does the future hold? It wasn’t like Elon Musk invented some amazing capacity. He didn’t do something transformational for the world. He didn’t harness electricity. He didn’t invent the transistor. He didn’t invent rocket flight. He didn’t invent satellite technology. He didn’t even make them much better. What he did was learn how to game the system. He took what America built through generations of investment and generations of hard work and turned it into a profit center for himself. He took American loans, American intellectual property, American space, American airwaves, and turned them into a wealth engine for one man.” (06/11/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/elon-musk-trillionaire
-----
27) Pete Hegseth’s D-Day speech gave Europe a spot-on warning – be smart or be invaded
Source: New York Post
by Miranda Devine
“War Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a great speech on D-Day in Normandy. He told the Europeans they were committing civilizational suicide by allowing themselves to be ‘invaded’ by unassimilable migrants. It was the kind of warning you give to a friend who you see is making a terrible mistake. ‘Sadly, today different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies,’ he said in northwestern France during commemorations for the 82nd anniversary of the June 6, 1944, landings of American and other Allied troops on the beaches of Normandy to liberate Europe from Hitler’s dangerous ideology. … Naturally, he was pilloried by out-of-touch elitists on both sides of the Atlantic.” [editor’s note: When Devine refers to “out-of-touch elitists,” she means anyone who’s not batshit insane – TLK] (06/10/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/06/10/opinion/pete-hegseths-d-day-speech-highlights-the-ongoing-invasion-across-europe/
-----
28) The Truth Is Simple: Democrats [and Republicans – TLK] Don’t Care About Anything but Gaining Power
Source: Town Hall
by Derek Hunter
“Character does not matter, at least in politics. People can do things that cause embarrassment or shame, or at least would have in the past, and it will not hinder their pathway to power. If Harvey Weinstein were out of prison, he could easily win another Oscar. If Jeffrey Epstein were alive, he would still be getting solicitations for meetings and donations from Democrats [and Repblicans – TLK]. The old joke about the only way a powerful politician could be taken out is if they were caught ‘with a live boy or a dead girl’ has lost its punch, as those would likely be resumé enhancements today. Neither of those options would surprise me about the Democrat Texas has chosen to run for the Senate, and nothing would surprise me about the one they picked to run for Senate from Maine.” (06/11/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2026/06/11/the-truth-is-simple-democrats-dont-care-about-anything-but-gaining-power-n2677576
-----
29) When It Really is Racist to Talk About Racial Gaps
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“I have a dream. I dream of a world where well-informed people calmly and candidly discuss society’s ugliest statistical realities. I dream of a world where no one stigmatizes those who participate in these discussions as ‘racist’ (or ‘sexist,’ ‘homophobic,’ ‘xenophobic,’ ‘anti-Semitic,’ or ‘Islamophobic’). I dream of a world where everyone in these discussions speaks respectfully about all of the groups under consideration. I dream of a world where the point of these discussions is to help craft humane tailored policy responses, not rationalize collective punishment or bless the status quo. Above all, I dream of a world where all participants are mindful that individual exceptions to statistical rules are ubiquitous. The hashtag #NotAllX is never far from the thoughts of any intellectually honest person.” (06/11/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/when-it-really-is-racist-to-talk
-----
30) Nostalgia
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Mani Basharzad
“If someone asked me what the most dangerous economic ideology is, many would expect an Austrian to give a typical answer: Marxism, socialism, or Modern Monetary Theory. Yet I believe there is another way of thinking that is even more pervasive. It is not a coherent body of ideas like those ideologies. Rather, it is a sentiment so widespread and socially accepted that it threatens not merely economic freedom, but our very understanding of progress itself. I call it ‘nostalgia economics.'” (06/11/26)
https://fee.org/articles/nostalgia/
-----
31) In Syria, hope continues to bloom
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“In the Middle East, drones, missiles, and airstrikes continue to streak across the Gulf and, with more intensity, between Israel and Lebanon. Surrounded by these adjacent conflicts, Syria, however, as the Monitor’s Taylor Luck reports this week, is ‘an island of calm in the stormy Middle East’. And of buoyant hope. That is a credit to Syrians’ resilience and faith in progress, as they confront economic and political challenges and emerge from the aftermath of years of repression and civil war. Some credit is also due their former insurgent turned president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has sought to shore up stability and restore basic services, through civic conciliation and political pragmatism. For the international community, Syria’s current situation validates the hope and confidence placed in the government that ousted a brutal dictatorship in December 2024.” (06/10/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0610/In-Syria-hope-continues-to-bloom
-----
32) Jump the Inflation
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“A term in pop culture analysis, now a bit passé, is worth reviving: ‘jump the shark.’ … A spectacle so goofy that it can serve as a marker for any great moment when something really goes into steep decline. The second Trump Administration has had many such moments, but are any as odd and stupid as the president’s recent remark about the Consumer Price Index?” (06/11/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/06/11/jump-the-inflation/
-----
33) Trump and Co.’s Bumbling Attempt to Rob US Taxpayers Is Backfiring
Source: Truthdig
by Bill Blum
“Whoever designed President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department must be a fan of the Ocean’s Eleven movie franchise. The multi-act plot lines are strikingly similar: Put together a motley crew of risk takers; pick a seemingly invincible target rich in treasure; infiltrate the target; exploit its weaknesses; and get away with an improbable heist while the guards are asleep, distracted, or otherwise occupied. Act One of Trump’s story arc began on January 29, when he and his eldest sons and the Trump Organization filed the lawsuit in federal district court in Miami. If only briefly, it seemed like the plan just might work.” (06/11/26)
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/in-his-own-heist-movie-donald-trump-stars-as-the-loser/
-----
34) Standing Downstream from Dobbs
Source: Law & Liberty
by John O McGinnis
“Law professors have finally found a positive aspect of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the case that overruled Roe v. Wade’s creation of constitutionally protected abortion rights. They claim that its jurisprudential logic requires overruling two of the cases most hated by the left-liberal legal academy — Buckley v. Valeo, which recognized the right of citizens to spend money on candidates and causes at election time, and New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, which invalidated a regime that required a license granted only under strict conditions to carry a gun. But these claims misunderstand the common originalist basis, if not all the reasoning, of these decisions.” (06/11/26)
https://lawliberty.org/standing-downstream-from-dobbs/
-----
35) US Citizens Must Stop the Madness Their Empire Imposes on Them and the World
Source: Foreign Policy In Focus
by Elena Gutiérrez
“Since January 2026, when the intensification of US policies aimed at suffocating the Cuban people began, I have had the opportunity to travel to the island three times. Each time I return with my heart a little more broken, but also with a stronger conviction that we need to defend Cuba. As a Mexican, I have received, on behalf of my compatriots, thousands of expressions of gratitude and hugs that the Cuban people send to the Mexican people. Every time I am there, I speak about the empathy and understanding we have toward Cuba, about the great efforts ordinary Mexicans make to bring a few kilos of rice to collection centers. And when I listen to Cubans, I learn a little more about the deep history that unites us.” (06/11/26)
https://fpif.org/the-u-s-is-preparing-an-assault-on-cuba-it-should-learn-from-cuba-instead/
-----
36) Did New Deal Spending End the Great Depression?
Source: The Daily Economy
by Marcus M Witcher
“George Selgin’s ‘False Dawn’ empirically demolishes the claim that Franklin Roosevelt pursued a Keynesian recovery strategy.” (06/11/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/did-new-deal-spending-end-the-great-depression/
-----
37) How American Progressives Influenced Hitler
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by William L Anderson
“In a recent article, I agreed with Justice Clarence Thomas that progressivism did (and still does) much damage to our body politic and our society. Obviously, the so-called intelligentsia in academe, politics, and the media didn’t agree. What really set off the critics, however, was Thomas’s claim that progressivism had helped pave the way for Hitler, Stalin, and Mao. Hitler, of course, is universally hated while both Stalin and Mao — despite their mass murdering — were roundly praised by the western intellectuals and journalists. … [E]was not a minor point of progressive thinking and held only by a small minority at that. Instead, eugenics as promoted by American progressives was an important part of their entire belief system, which held to the supremacy of ‘science,’ as opposed to governance by mere passions.” (06/11/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/how-american-progressives-influenced-hitler
-----
38) An Unwarranted War, a Global Economic Drag
Source: Antiwar.com
by Dan Steinbock
“When the US-Iran conflict escalated earlier this year, the immediate concern centered on oil prices and the Strait of Hormuz. But the real danger was never confined to crude oil. The crisis has evolved into a broader energy, logistics, fertilizer, food and financial shock. What began as a regional conflict has become a structural drag on the global economy.” (06/11/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/dan_steinbock/2026/06/10/an-unwarranted-war-a-global-economic-drag/
-----
39) It must be June, as hysterical leftists [sic] whine they want to pack SCOTUS
Source: Fox News
by Kelly Shackelford
“It’s June, which means the U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to issue some of its most significant opinions of the term and, predictably, radicals on the political left are renewing their hysterical calls for sweeping changes to the court whenever decisions fail to align with their preferred policy outcomes. In recent years, virtually every Supreme Court ruling that has diverged from progressive policy preferences has been met with demands for so-called ‘court reform.’ This year, however, many prominent voices have abandoned any pretense of moderation, with demands for packing the court becoming the norm. U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, one of the most influential members of the Democratic Party, recently stated, ‘The Supreme Court is a disgrace. In the new Congress, we’re going to have to do something about this Supreme Court and let me be very clear: Everything is on the table — everything — to deal with this corrupt MAGA majority.'” (06/11/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/must-june-hysterical-leftists-whine-want-pack-supreme-court
-----
40) Politics never does kill what doesn’t work, does it?
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Tim Worstall
“Global Witness is telling us all that the things put in place to make sure that coltan (columbo-tantalite, a source of tantalum for mobile phone capacitors) does not come from slave driven mines aren’t working …. We agree, slave driven mines are a bad thing. It’s just that this problem was brought up before and a solution imposed. We disagreed with the solution imposed at the time as well, while Global Witness, Global Justice Now and the like all argued, vociferously, for that solution to be imposed. … In normal life something that’s an abject failure stops being done. In politics abject failure just carries on to the impoverishment of everyone — costs imposed that achieve nothing.” (06/11/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/politics-never-does-kill-what-doesnt-work-does-it
-----
41) Why a single “peace deal” for Ukraine war just won’t work
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Ian Proud
“The time is ripe for European leaders to set aside the self-licking summits in European capitals and get in the room with the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia to orchestrate a modern-day Helsinki Conference. A durable peace for Ukraine will require several interlocking agreements, each of which will be incredibly difficult to negotiate, but all of which will be vital if we are to avoid a general war in Europe.” (06/11/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/ukraine-russia-europe-talks/
-----
42) The Iran War’s Hidden Tax on American Households
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen
“The energy index surged 3.9% in May, accounting for the lion’s share, over 60%, of the monthly CPI gain. Gasoline prices jumped about 7% MoM (with even larger unadjusted moves) and sit 40.5% higher than a year ago. Overall energy costs are up 23.5% YoY. Food prices rose more modestly, while shelter costs continued their steady grind higher in the core measure. This isn’t abstract economic noise. It’s a direct hit to real incomes. … The primary culprit is unmistakable: the ongoing U.S.-involved conflict with Iran that Washington and Tel Aviv launched in late February 2026.” (06/11/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-iran-wars-hidden-tax-on-american-households
-----
43) Whose Privacy Rights Are They Anyway?
Source: The Dispatch
by Annalise DeVries
“There is a strain of anti-liberalism regarding women’s rights that goes from one end of the horseshoe to the other. Thirty years ago, it was post-modern scholars arguing that liberalism did not know how to adequately approach women’s womb-bearing bodies, and so the liberal political system ought to be dismantled. More recently, Christian nationalists have argued that women’s rights upset the natural order. As Doug Wilson, a Christian nationalist pastor, put it in an interview with CNN, women shouldn’t exert individual rights because they ‘are the kind of people other people come out of.’ While one’s inclination might be to scoff at these arguments, their common conviction that women’s rights expose the weakness of liberalism should give all of us pause.” (06/11/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/womens-rights-abortion-online-privacy-rights/
-----
44) You Can’t Blame Netanyahu for Israel’s Militarism
Source: The American Conservative
by Anik Joshi
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has been the longest serving prime minister of Israel, having assumed the office in 1996 and served off and on for a total of almost two decades. His upcoming election looks to be a tossup, so there’s a fair chance voters will show him the door. Even if they do, analysts would be fools to write him off altogether, as they’ve tried to do many times before. And even if ‘Bibi,’ as he is known, doesn’t find a way back to power, the hardline militarism he represents will probably dominate Israeli politics for a long time. … for all the blame the man receives, he is doing what he was elected to do, and even his most hawkish supporters are far from the fringes of Israeli politics.” (06/11/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/you-cant-blame-netanyahu-for-israels-militarism/
-----
45) How to Raise Birth Rates
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“I had a post on the subject a few months ago; a recent online discussion started me thinking about it again and I have some new ideas. One was due to a poster whose list of ways government could reduce the birth rate included banning divorce. I suspected he had it backwards. The obvious reason to think that is that modern societies have both easy divorce and low birth rates. But correlation is not causation; there are other plausible reasons for low birth rates, some discussed in my earlier post. There are better reasons.” (06/10/26)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/how-to-raise-birth-rates
-----
46) The FDA Finally Approved a New Sunscreen Ingredient. It Only Took Over 25 Years.
Source: Reason
by Meagan O’Rourke
“The U.S. has led the world in several innovations in recent decades: the iPhone, Facebook, and artificial intelligence. But when it comes to sunscreen, Americans have been living in the Dark Ages compared with Europe and Asia. That could be changing. This week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added bemotrizinol (BEMT) to its list of permitted active sunscreen ingredients, updating the list for the first time since 1999, according to National Geographic.” (06/10/26)
https://reason.com/2026/06/10/the-fda-finally-approved-a-new-sunscreen-ingredient-it-only-took-over-25-years/
-----
47) Attacking Iran Has Nothing to Do with Self-Defense
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“The U.S. is not defending itself or its forces when it launches more attacks on Iran. It is continuing the war of aggression that it began alongside Israel over three months ago.” (06/10/26)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/attacking-iran-has-nothing-to-do
-----
48) Immigration Laws Are Made to Be Broken
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“While I’ve done many debates on immigration, this is the first time that you can figure out the correct side without knowing anything about immigration. The resolution states: ‘Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should complete its mandate to deport all illegal aliens currently residing in the United States’ — and all means all. Which is a crazy view about the enforcement of even the best law imaginable. If we were debating ‘The NYPD should complete its mandate to imprison all murderers currently residing in New York City,’ every person here should still vote nay. How can I say such a thing? This is the basic economics of crime.” (06/10/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/immigration-laws-are-made-to-be-broken
-----
49) The Threat of Big Insurance
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“Earlier this month, the California-based organization Consumer Watchdog uncovered an incredible scandal involving rideshare company Uber, which we covered on the most recent episode of my podcast Organized Money. The company pleaded to the California legislature last year that its insurance costs had spiked so much that the state needed to decrease required payouts on its mandated uninsured motorist coverage. ‘They literally said 45 cents out of every dollar is going to insurance,’ Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, told me. It turned out that these excessive insurance payments were going to a Hawaii-based company called Aleka that is run by Uber executives. Aleka was raising rates on Uber higher than other insurers, but that money just got transferred into a reserve bank account under Uber’s control.” (06/11/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/06/11/threat-of-big-insurance-lobbying-congress-donations/
-----
50) For now, censorship stays at the University of Alabama
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Marie McMullan
“We need to talk about Bama. The University of Alabama delivered a real blow to the student magazine editors, writers, and photographers who staffed Alice and Nineteen Fifty-Six last December. UA shut down these publications, which focused on women and black students, citing a nonbinding memo from then-U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi that warned against the use of ‘unlawful proxies’ for discrimination. What followed was a scene from a student media horror story: Student journalists lost access to their old facilities, and administrators refused to reopen the publications, even after condemnation from student press advocates — including FIRE’s Student Press Freedom Initiative — came flooding in.” (06/10/26)
https://www.fire.org/news/now-censorship-stays-university-alabama
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Pink Flame of Liberty, 06/11/26
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“CHRISTLESS NATIONALISM: James White is Right!” (06/11/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeywxZWYN4I
-----
52) Dangerous History Podcast, episode 288
Source: Libertarian Institute
"‘The Mad Dream of Conquest,’ Pt. II." (06/11/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/dangerous-history-podcast/dhpep288/
-----
53) Cato Podcast, 06/11/26
Source: Cato Institute
“Economics In One World Cup.” (06/11/26)
https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-podcast/economics-one-world-cup
-----
54) Underthrow Podcast, 06/11/26
Source: Underthrow
“The Paradox of Gender Equality.” (06/11/26)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/the-paradox-of-gender-equality
-----
55) Show-Me Institute Podcast, 06/11/26
Source: Show-Me Institute
“Missouri’s Stalled Education Reforms with Cory Koedel.” (06/11/26)
https://showmeinstitute.org/article/education/missouris-stalled-education-reforms-with-cory-koedel/
-----
56) The Smartphone, A Modern Miracle of Free Trade
Source: Cobden Centre
“This speech was given at the Beurs van Berlage, which was built as the Amsterdam Stock Exchange more than a century ago. Amsterdam was a pioneer of free trade and free enterprise for centuries. One of the companies [Max Rangeley] discussed was ASML, a Dutch company that is arguably the most important in the world right now for microchip fabrication, having pioneered extreme ultraviolet lithography, which enables intricate nanoscale manufacturing.” (06/11/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/06/speech-in-amsterdam-the-smartphone-a-modern-miracle-of-free-trade/
-----
57) The Blessings of Liberty with Jeffrey Rosen, 06/11/26
Source: The Blessings of Liberty with Jeffrey Rosen
“A Conversation with Justice Breyer.” (06/11/26)
https://rosenjeffrey.substack.com/p/a-conversation-with-justice-breyer
-----
58) Homeschool Workshop, 06/10/26
Source: Homeschool Workshop
“How do Homeschool kids graduate high school?” (06/10/26)
https://rumble.com/v7b3w10-how-do-homeschool-kids-graduate-high-school.html
-----
59) Kibbe on Liberty, episode 390
Source: Free the People
“Bitcoin Is Here to Stay | Guest: Saifedean Ammous.” (06/10/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bn5oABFFgI
-----
60) The Science of Politics, 06/10/26
Source: Niskanen Center
“Will young Americans become long-term democrats?” (06/10/26)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/will-young-americans-become-long-term-democrats
-----
61) Questions For Corbett, 06/10/26
Source: The Corbett Report
“Why Is NATO Being Demolished?” (06/10/26)
https://corbettreport.com/why-is-nato-being-demolished/
-----
62) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/10/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“US Attacks Iran for Second Night, Hegseth Threatens Cuba at Guantanamo Bay, and More.” (06/10/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRF-cAgfqWg
-----
63) Half the Answer, episode 87
Source: Liberal Currents
“Bari Weiss Is Supposed to Do the News Now … with Radley Balko.” (06/10/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/bari-weiss-is-supposed-to-do-the-news-now-half-the-answer-87-with-radley-balko/
-----
64) Soho Forum Debate: Should ICE Deport All Illegal Aliens?
Source: Reason
“Simon Hankinson and Bryan Caplan debate immigration enforcement.” (06/10/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/06/10/should-ice-deport-all-illegal-aliens/
-----
65) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 06/10/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Scott Horton Breaks Down What’s Really Happening.” (06/10/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/the-kyle-anzalone-show-scott-horton-breaks-down-whats-really-happening/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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
More News, More Commentary, More Audio/Video at Our Web Edition!
https://news.rationalreview.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's Freedom News:
1) Iran war: Trump claims deal is close (again), Iranians say not really (again)
2) Ukraine war: Three killed in mutual attacks
3) South Korea: Yoon sentenced to 30 more years over Pyongyang drone plot
4) Trump names new spy chief after pushback over previous pick
5) UK, Australian, Canadian regimes launch $4 million fund for Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts
6) US House rejects last-ditch FISA extension ahead of Friday deadline
7) Sudanese paramilitary drone strikes kill at least 15 people in central region, officials say
8) US Jobless Aid Filings Rise to 229,000
9) European Central Bank hikes interest rates for first time since 2023 as Iran war ramps up energy costs
10) UK: Healey resigns as defense secretary, accuses regime of not spending enough on military
11) Pentagon on lockdown, hazmat crews rush in over “hazardous materials incident”
12) Lawyers: US regime plans to deport abducted refugees to “do not go there” country
13) CA: Amid explosive fraud probe, Trump admin yanks funding from LA homeless agency
14) Canada: Idiot pols fantasize that they can ban social media use for youth under 16
15) Convicted killer’s family used fundraiser money for moving & living expenses
16) Saudi Arabia: Regime ends ban on Lebanese exports
17) Historic US-Canada border library gets new Quebec-only entrance
18) Trump directs Pulte to downsize agency
19) Alabama regime asks SCOTUS to allow it to kill prisoner
20) FL: Suspect dead after attempted robbery ends in shooting
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) FISA Fail: A Good First Step, But Hold Off on the Celebration
22) Iran Is Now More Dangerous Than Ever
23) Magnifica Humanitas, AI, and the State
24) The Economist Who Wants To Make the World Poorer
25) US Empire Managers View Iranian Sovereignty As An Act Of Aggression
26) Trillionaire Welfare Baby Elon Musk Is Born!
27) Pete Hegseth’s D-Day speech gave Europe a spot-on warning – be smart or be invaded
28) The Truth Is Simple: Democrats [and Republicans – TLK] Don’t Care About Anything but Gaining Power
29) When It Really is Racist to Talk About Racial Gaps
30) Nostalgia
31) In Syria, hope continues to bloom
32) Jump the Inflation
33) Trump and Co.’s Bumbling Attempt to Rob US Taxpayers Is Backfiring
34) Standing Downstream from Dobbs
35) US Citizens Must Stop the Madness Their Empire Imposes on Them and the World
36) Did New Deal Spending End the Great Depression?
37) How American Progressives Influenced Hitler
38) An Unwarranted War, a Global Economic Drag
39) It must be June, as hysterical leftists [sic] whine they want to pack SCOTUS
40) Politics never does kill what doesn’t work, does it?
41) Why a single “peace deal” for Ukraine war just won’t work
42) The Iran War’s Hidden Tax on American Households
43) Whose Privacy Rights Are They Anyway?
44) You Can’t Blame Netanyahu for Israel’s Militarism
45) How to Raise Birth Rates
46) The FDA Finally Approved a New Sunscreen Ingredient. It Only Took Over 25 Years.
47) Attacking Iran Has Nothing to Do with Self-Defense
48) Immigration Laws Are Made to Be Broken
49) The Threat of Big Insurance
50) For now, censorship stays at the University of Alabama
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Pink Flame of Liberty, 06/11/26
52) Dangerous History Podcast, episode 288
53) Cato Podcast, 06/11/26
54) Underthrow Podcast, 06/11/26
55) Show-Me Institute Podcast, 06/11/26
56) The Smartphone, A Modern Miracle of Free Trade
57) The Blessings of Liberty with Jeffrey Rosen, 06/11/26
58) Homeschool Workshop, 06/10/26
59) Kibbe on Liberty, episode 390
60) The Science of Politics, 06/10/26
61) Questions For Corbett, 06/10/26
62) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/10/26
63) Half the Answer, episode 87
64) Soho Forum Debate: Should ICE Deport All Illegal Aliens?
65) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 06/10/26
vvvvv SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS vvvvv
THE CONSTITUTION OF NON-STATE GOVERNMENT: FIELD GUIDE TO TEXAS SECESSION (2nd edition), by TL Hulsey
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1883853117
Tyranny Demands AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE: A NOVEL BY ERNE LEWIS
https://tinyurl.com/actofselfdefense
HOW INDEPENDENT ARE "YOUR" CONGRESS/SENATE MEMBERS?
https://congressionalindependence.deathbutt.org/
SAMUEL EDWARD KONKIN III REVOLUTIONARY FRIEND BY WENDY MCELROY
https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Edward-Konkin-Revolutionary-Friend-ebook/dp/B0DP7B6127
SHARE YOUR OPINIONS. EARN POINTS. REDEEM POINTS FOR AWARDS
https://account.yougov.com/us-en/join?referral=eAi-FP2i9s1Jzb5lj2zw5A
^^^^^ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ^^^^^
_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Iran war: Trump claims deal is close (again), Iranians say not really (again)
Source: Independent [UK]
“Iran has denied that the US and Tehran have finalised all points in peace negotiations, as claimed by Donald Trump, reiterating that the regime will not compromise on its ‘red lines.’ Speaking to Iranian state TV: ‘We have not reached a final conclusion on this matter. This is a very important issue that is currently being reviewed by the relevant decision-making bodies.’ It comes after Donald Trump walked back his threat to strike Iran ‘hard’ last night, citing progress being made in peace negotiations. The US president said he ‘cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening.’ He added that ‘discussions and final points’ have been ‘approved by all parties involved.’ He later told reporters that a deal could be signed as soon as this weekend.” (06/12/26)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-us-war-live-trump-airstrikes-threat-israel-hormuz-deal-b2994438.html
-----
2) Ukraine war: Three killed in mutual attacks
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Three people have been killed in the border region between Russia and Ukraine, according to officials, as the two sides launched attacks on each other in the latest exchange of fire. In Russia, two civilians were killed and two wounded in the region of Bryansk after Kyiv struck the settlement of Suzemka with artillery, Acting Governor Egor Kovalchuk said in a post on Telegram on Friday. A drone also hit an apartment building in Russia’s central region of Tatarstan, injuring three people …. In Ukraine, a drone attack in the border region of Sumy caused casualties. A 44-year-old woman working as a rail station operator died on her way to a shelter during the strike, according to the head of Ukrainian Railways, Oleksandr Pertsovkyi. Another woman, a station attendant, was wounded in the attack, Pertsovkyi added. Three people were wounded in separate attacks on Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region.” (06/12/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/12/three-killed-as-ukraine-and-russia-exchange-cross-border-attacks
-----
3) South Korea: Yoon sentenced to 30 more years over Pyongyang drone plot
Source: CNN
“A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison on Friday over charges linked to military drones sent over Pyongyang to help create a pretext for his failed December 2024 martial law declaration, Yonhap reported. The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of abuse of power and aiding the enemy, saying he had conspired in the October 2024 drone incursion from the outset, the news agency said. Yoon denied wrongdoing. His lawyers said he neither ordered nor later approved the operation, which they said was unrelated to martial law and instead a response to months of North Korean launches across the border of balloons stuffed with rubbish. … In February, a South Korean court sentenced Yoon to life in prison after finding him guilty of leading an insurrection linked to the martial law attempt.” (06/11/26)
https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/11/asia/south-korean-yoon-suk-yeol-drone-case-jail-intl-hnk
-----
4) Trump names new spy chief after pushback over previous pick
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“US President Donald Trump has named the top federal prosecutor in New York to be the nation’s most senior spy chief, after lawmakers in Congress objected to his previous choice due to lack of relevant experience. Jay Clayton is currently serving as US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and is overseeing several prominent cases, including the drug trafficking case against former Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro. On Thursday, Trump tapped him to be the next director of national intelligence, the country’s top spy chief who oversees 18 government intelligence agencies. Outgoing Director Tulsi Gabbard’s last day is 30 June.” (06/11/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy497vjmd4wo
-----
5) UK, Australian, Canadian regimes launch $4 million fund for Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts
Source: Reuters
“Britain, Australia and Canada on Thursday launched a peace fund to complement broader efforts towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with each country contributing £1 million ($1.34 million) to the initiative. … The fund will focus on new and existing grassroots projects – particularly those that include youth groups, civil society organisations and women. The £3 million fund will seek to scale up and attract additional donors once operational.” (06/11/26)
https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-australia-canada-launch-4-million-fund-israeli-palestinian-peace-efforts-2026-06-10/
-----
6) US House rejects last-ditch FISA extension ahead of Friday deadline
Source: Axios
“The House rejected a short-term extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act on Thursday, putting the government’s foreign surveillance authority on track to expire. A standoff over President Trump’s decision to install Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence has jeopardized what lawmakers in both parties consider one of the government’s most important intelligence tools. The vast majority of House Democrats opposed the extension through July 2, along with dozens of conservatives who are upset about a lack of reforms. The vote was 198-218. If Congress doesn’t act, Section 702 will lapse Friday.” (06/11/26)
https://archive.is/p0sBN
-----
7) Sudanese paramilitary drone strikes kill at least 15 people in central region, officials say
Source: ABC News
“Sudanese paramilitary forces carried out drone strikes overnight in central Sudan, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens, health officials said Thursday, as the use of unmanned aircraft becomes increasingly common in the more than three-year war in the African country. The attacks, which started late Wednesday, targeted various areas of the city of el-Obeid, including near an army position, according to two health officials at el-Obed Hospital, which received the victims. More than 10 people were also wounded, some critically, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The war in Sudan erupted in April 2023, after long-simmering tensions between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF. The conflict has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced some 13 million, and pushed many parts of the country into famine.” (06/11/26)
https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/sudanese-paramilitary-drone-strikes-kill-15-people-central-133784827
-----
8) US Jobless Aid Filings Rise to 229,000
Source: US News & World Report
“U.S. applications for jobless aid rose modestly last week, but remain at a historically low level despite economic headwinds brought on by the war in Iran. The number of Americans filing for unemployment aid for the week ending June 6 rose by 4,000 to 229,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s the most since early February, before the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran, but still considered a healthy level. It’s also more than the 216,000 new applications forecast by analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet. Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.” (06/11/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2026-06-11/us-jobless-aid-filings-rise-to-229-000-last-week-remain-historically-low-despite-iran-war-headwinds
-----
9) European Central Bank hikes interest rates for first time since 2023 as Iran war ramps up energy costs
Source: CNBC
“The European Central Bank announced a quarter-point rate hike on Thursday, bringing its key interest rate to 2.25% as the Iran war continues to blow inflation off target. Markets had been pricing in a near-100% chance of the ECB raising rates by at least 25 basis points ahead of its June Governing Council meeting, according to LSEG data. The ECB’s Governing Council said the decision had been made in a bid to ward off inflationary pressures generated by the U.S.-Iran war.” (06/11/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/11/ecb-hikes-interest-rates.html
-----
10) UK: Healey resigns as defense secretary, accuses regime of not spending enough on military
Source: Independent [UK]
“John Healey has dramatically resigned as defence secretary, warning Sir Keir Starmer that his defence investment plan (Dip) ‘falls well short of what is required.’ His shock resignation comes amid mounting tensions within the Cabinet over the publication of the long-delayed plan, which will set out how new equipment and defence infrastructure will be funded in the next decade. In his resignation letter to the prime minister – which he said he ‘never expected to write’ – Mr Healey accused Sir Keir and the chancellor of having been ‘unwilling to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats.'” (06/11/26)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/john-healey-resigns-defence-secretary-spending-plan-latest-news-b2993909.html
-----
11) Pentagon on lockdown, hazmat crews rush in over “hazardous materials incident”
Source: New York Post
“The Pentagon is on lockdown Thursday as emergency workers respond to the Department of War’s headquarters for ‘a hazardous materials incident,’ Arlington County Fire and EMS said in a post to X. ‘ACFD units, including our Hazardous Materials Team, are currently operating at the Pentagon in support of PFPA’s Hazmat Team during a hazardous materials incident,’ it said. Building systems detected an ‘air quality issue,’ which prompted a shelter-in-place order, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. ‘The Pentagon has sophisticated systems to ensure the safety of the building and its occupants,’ Parnell said. ‘Those systems have detected an air quality issue necessitating precautionary measures until we determine its significance. The Department is executing standard protection protocols, including a shelter-in-place order for the affected area. Response teams are in place and ready to support building occupants.'” (06/11/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/06/11/us-news/pentagon-on-lockdown-hazmat-crews-rush-in-over-hazardous-materials-incident/
-----
12) Lawyers: US regime plans to deport abducted refugees to “do not go there” country
Source: New York Times
“The Trump administration is preparing to deport nearly two dozen people to the Central African Republic on Thursday, including at least two Iranian women who had sought refuge in the United States, according to lawyers and a government official. The flight, which is also expected to include migrants from Afghanistan and Syria, would mark the first such deportation to the Central African Republic, a deeply impoverished country that has been plagued by conflict. The country is so dangerous that the U.S. State Department states on its website, ‘do not travel for any reason.’ At least some of the migrants have received court orders in the United States prohibiting their deportation to their home countries because of the threat of persecution or torture, their lawyers said. … The Trump administration is working to find ways to deport people despite these court orders.” (06/11/26)
https://archive.is/ujwYy
-----
13) CA: Amid explosive fraud probe, Trump admin yanks funding from LA homeless agency
Source: Fox News
“A top Trump agency is cutting off funding to the Los Angeles agency responsible for coordinating billions in homelessness spending after accusing it of ‘obvious fraud,’ ‘wanton mismanagement’ and repeated failures to safeguard taxpayer dollars, Fox News Digital has learned. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which is a member of the White House fraud task force led by Vice President JD Vance, is immediately suspending the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s (LAHSA) federal funding while HUD’s inspector general investigates potential offenses by the agency and its leadership, according to a letter sent to LAHSA’s board chair Wendy Greuel and its CEO Gita O’Neill, which was obtained and reviewed by Fox News Digital. The letter detailed conflicts of interest, financial mismanagement, fraud, lack of oversight, and more from the homelessness agency, which has faced efforts by the city and county to take it over.” (06/11/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-admin-yanks-funding-la-homeless-agency-explosive-fraud-investigation
-----
14) Canada: Idiot pols fantasize that they can ban social media use for youth under 16
Source: Seattle Times
“Canada is joining a growing list of countries seeking to protect [sic] young people from harm [sic] online by restricting their access to social media platforms. The Canadian government Wednesday introduced a new digital safety [sic] proposal that would require users to verify that they are [capable of faking being] at least 16 to access websites such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. A new regulator called the Digital Safety Commission of Canada would administer the proposed measures, officials said.” (06/11/26)
https://archive.is/0kB9Z
-----
15) Convicted killer’s family used fundraiser money for moving & living expenses
Source: Fox News
“Karmelo Anthony will serve his sentence while it appears the fundraising campaign for his family organized by his mother, Kala Hayes, has been taken down. Anthony was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years behind bars on Tuesday. He has since filed a notice of appeal to challenge the conviction. He said in his appeal that he cannot afford a new lawyer, WFAA reported. Those documents say, Anthony is a ‘penniless, destitute, and indigent person, too poor to employ counsel to represent me on the appeal,’ according to the outlet. The fundraiser was posted on GiveSendGo, an international crowdfunding platform, on April 15, 2025. It was less than two weeks after Anthony fatally stabbed 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas. All the while, the fundraiser for Anthony and his family, titled, ‘Help Karmelo Official Fund,’ initially had a goal of generating nearly $1.4 million, and raised just shy of $634,000.” (06/11/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/us/convicted-killer-karmelo-anthony-family-used-fundraiser-money-moving-living-expenses
-----
16) Saudi Arabia: Regime ends ban on Lebanese exports
Source: The New Arab [UK]
“Saudi Arabia is to allow the resumption of Lebanese exports to the kingdom, its official press agency reported on Wednesday, ending a years-long ban on the goods imposed amid concerns over the influence of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Saudi de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the resumption ‘in accordance with the positive steps taken by the Lebanese government,’ the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. … In April 2021, the kingdom suspended fruit and vegetable imports from Lebanon, asserting shipments were being used for drug-smuggling and accusing Beirut of inaction.” (06/11/26)
https://www.newarab.com/news/saudi-arabia-ends-years-long-ban-lebanese-exports
-----
17) Historic US-Canada border library gets new Quebec-only entrance
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“The Haskell Free Library and Opera House, a landmark community institution built deliberately across the Canada–US border in 1904 so neighbours could share books and performances, has opened a new Canada-only entrance. This comes after the Trump administration limited access for individuals entering from Canada, barring them from using the library’s original main entrance, situated in Vermont on the US side of the border. For more than a century, visitors from both countries moved freely through the building, crossing the international border marked by a strip of black tape on the floor. But tighter US security rules effectively closed the historic shared entrance to Canadian visitors in October 2025. The new entrance, created from a former emergency exit on the Canadian side, was a costly project funded in part through community fundraising.” (06/11/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/clyrvrde160o
-----
18) Trump directs Pulte to downsize agency
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“United States President Donald Trump has directed Bill Pulte to cut staff at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) as soon as he takes up his role as acting intelligence chief. The order came in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, in which Trump doubled down on his choice of Pulte, a controversial pick. … A businessman with ties to construction and private equity, Pulte has no intelligence or military background, and critics see him as a Trump loyalist who has attacked the president’s critics. In Wednesday’s post, Trump did emphasise he was already searching for Pulte’s successor.” (06/10/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/10/trump-directs-interim-us-intelligence-chief-bill-pulte-to-downsize-agency
-----
19) Alabama regime asks SCOTUS to allow it to kill prisoner
Source: SFGate
“Alabama is waging a last-minute legal fight to [kill] a man with nitrogen gas on Thursday night, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to set aside a judge’s finding that the method violates the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Jeffery Lee, 49, is scheduled to be executed at 6 p.m. Thursday. However, a federal judge on Tuesday ruled that nitrogen executions are unconstitutional and blocked the state from using the method to put Lee to death. The state filed an appeal Thursday asking the Supreme Court to set aside the ruling and allow the execution. ‘If that ruling stands, it would be unprecedented in American history. Not only does it portend the first-ever permanent ban on a legislatively enacted method, but it would expand the concept of cruelty well beyond the bounds of the Eighth Amendment,’ lawyers with the Alabama attorney general’s office wrote.” (06/11/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/alabama-asks-appeals-court-to-let-it-continue-22300426.php
-----
20) FL: Suspect dead after attempted robbery ends in shooting
Source: WSVN News
“A Miami Gardens resident opened fire after his next-door neighbor alerted him about an armed attempted robbery overnight, killing the subject, police said. Miami Gardens Police units responded to reports of a shooting …. ‘Upon arrival, we found the subject of an armed robbery on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head,’ said Miami Gardens Police spokesperson Diana Delgado. The subject was transported to [HCA Florida Aventura Hospital] where he was later pronounced deceased, according to Delgado. According to investigators, an intruder who was attempting to rob a home awakened a couple residing there at around 1:30 a.m. Investigators said the female victim, the homeowner’s girlfriend, ran to her next-door neighbor’s home for help. Shortly after, the neighbor retrieved a firearm and came to the couple’s home. ‘That neighbor fired his weapon, striking the subject in the head,’ said Delgado.” (06/09/26)
https://wsvn.com/news/local/miami-dade/subject-dead-after-attempted-robbery-at-miami-gardens-home-ends-in-shooting-police-say/
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) FISA Fail: A Good First Step, But Hold Off on the Celebration
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“FISA was always terrible, and section 702 always made it even worse. I’m glad it failed of re-passage. It needs to die in a fire, permanently. But there’s nothing really to celebrate here, because we’ve known — since at least as far back as 2013 — how the US regime operates with regard to its surveillance powers. If the US regime doesn’t like the law, it breaks the law. If US regime figures are asked (under oath) about breaking the law, they deny (under oath) breaking the law. If a whistleblower outs the evidence that the US regime is breaking the law, the US regime charges the whistleblower with espionage and chases him out of the country, while the perjurers continue their skulduggery without penalty or punishment.” (06/11/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20694
-----
22) Iran Is Now More Dangerous Than Ever
Source: Foreign Policy
by Rob Geist Pinfold
“U.S. President Donald Trump’s reason for launching a ‘special military operation’ against Iran in February remains disputed. But the United States’[s] broad goals were clear: compel Iran, which the 2025 National Security Strategy labeled as ‘the region’s chief destabilizing force,’ to abandon its sponsorship of a regional network of violent nonstate actors and curtail its nuclear program. In short, the United States sought to force Iran to comprehensively overhaul its grand strategy, through either regime change or a deal. To understand how badly this effort has failed, it’s important to understand how Iran’s grand strategy has shifted.” (06/11/26)
https://archive.is/vclJ1
-----
23) Magnifica Humanitas, AI, and the State
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Ulrich Fromy
“The encyclical Magnifica Humanitas by Pope Leo XIV is a remarkable text in many ways. It recognizes the dangers of technological concentration and the threat that large private platforms pose to human dignity. The text warns of ‘social control made possible by the massive collection of data and use of algorithmic systems’ and speaks of ‘the architecture of visibility.’ However, it has a blind spot: it does not dare to name states as possible architects of these surveillance structures.” (06/11/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/magnifica-humanitas-ai-and-state
-----
24) The Economist Who Wants To Make the World Poorer
Source: Reason
by Veronique de Rugy
“Thomas Piketty’s plan is a comprehensive program for global managed decline dressed up in the language of climate justice and equality.” (06/11/25)
https://reason.com/2026/06/11/the-economist-who-wants-to-make-the-world-poorer/
-----
25) US Empire Managers View Iranian Sovereignty As An Act Of Aggression
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday that the US is going to be launching major strikes in Iran, while President Trump says he’ll ‘bomb the shit out of’ the Iranians if they don’t agree to a deal of his liking. … Meanwhile the US war machine is acting like a poor widdle victim and claiming it’s only bombing Iran in order to defend itself from unwarranted aggression. CENTCOM released a statement on Wednesday saying ‘U.S. Central Command forces began launching additional self-defense strikes today’ …. Yep, sure, I know what that’s like. I just drove across town to break into someone’s house and he tried to stop me from pouring gasoline all over his living room, so I had to kill him in self-defense.” (06/11/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/06/11/us-empire-managers-view-iranian-sovereignty-as-an-act-of-aggression-and-other-notes/
-----
26) Trillionaire Welfare Baby Elon Musk Is Born!
Source: Common Dreams
by Corbin Trent
“SpaceX goes public Friday at around $1.7 trillion. Elon Musk owns enough SpaceX stock that, on top of everything else he holds, Musk becomes the first person in human history to cross the trillion-dollar line. The coverage will be all hype. Unprecedented. A genius. Where’s he going next? What does the future hold? It wasn’t like Elon Musk invented some amazing capacity. He didn’t do something transformational for the world. He didn’t harness electricity. He didn’t invent the transistor. He didn’t invent rocket flight. He didn’t invent satellite technology. He didn’t even make them much better. What he did was learn how to game the system. He took what America built through generations of investment and generations of hard work and turned it into a profit center for himself. He took American loans, American intellectual property, American space, American airwaves, and turned them into a wealth engine for one man.” (06/11/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/elon-musk-trillionaire
-----
27) Pete Hegseth’s D-Day speech gave Europe a spot-on warning – be smart or be invaded
Source: New York Post
by Miranda Devine
“War Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a great speech on D-Day in Normandy. He told the Europeans they were committing civilizational suicide by allowing themselves to be ‘invaded’ by unassimilable migrants. It was the kind of warning you give to a friend who you see is making a terrible mistake. ‘Sadly, today different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies,’ he said in northwestern France during commemorations for the 82nd anniversary of the June 6, 1944, landings of American and other Allied troops on the beaches of Normandy to liberate Europe from Hitler’s dangerous ideology. … Naturally, he was pilloried by out-of-touch elitists on both sides of the Atlantic.” [editor’s note: When Devine refers to “out-of-touch elitists,” she means anyone who’s not batshit insane – TLK] (06/10/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/06/10/opinion/pete-hegseths-d-day-speech-highlights-the-ongoing-invasion-across-europe/
-----
28) The Truth Is Simple: Democrats [and Republicans – TLK] Don’t Care About Anything but Gaining Power
Source: Town Hall
by Derek Hunter
“Character does not matter, at least in politics. People can do things that cause embarrassment or shame, or at least would have in the past, and it will not hinder their pathway to power. If Harvey Weinstein were out of prison, he could easily win another Oscar. If Jeffrey Epstein were alive, he would still be getting solicitations for meetings and donations from Democrats [and Repblicans – TLK]. The old joke about the only way a powerful politician could be taken out is if they were caught ‘with a live boy or a dead girl’ has lost its punch, as those would likely be resumé enhancements today. Neither of those options would surprise me about the Democrat Texas has chosen to run for the Senate, and nothing would surprise me about the one they picked to run for Senate from Maine.” (06/11/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2026/06/11/the-truth-is-simple-democrats-dont-care-about-anything-but-gaining-power-n2677576
-----
29) When It Really is Racist to Talk About Racial Gaps
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“I have a dream. I dream of a world where well-informed people calmly and candidly discuss society’s ugliest statistical realities. I dream of a world where no one stigmatizes those who participate in these discussions as ‘racist’ (or ‘sexist,’ ‘homophobic,’ ‘xenophobic,’ ‘anti-Semitic,’ or ‘Islamophobic’). I dream of a world where everyone in these discussions speaks respectfully about all of the groups under consideration. I dream of a world where the point of these discussions is to help craft humane tailored policy responses, not rationalize collective punishment or bless the status quo. Above all, I dream of a world where all participants are mindful that individual exceptions to statistical rules are ubiquitous. The hashtag #NotAllX is never far from the thoughts of any intellectually honest person.” (06/11/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/when-it-really-is-racist-to-talk
-----
30) Nostalgia
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Mani Basharzad
“If someone asked me what the most dangerous economic ideology is, many would expect an Austrian to give a typical answer: Marxism, socialism, or Modern Monetary Theory. Yet I believe there is another way of thinking that is even more pervasive. It is not a coherent body of ideas like those ideologies. Rather, it is a sentiment so widespread and socially accepted that it threatens not merely economic freedom, but our very understanding of progress itself. I call it ‘nostalgia economics.'” (06/11/26)
https://fee.org/articles/nostalgia/
-----
31) In Syria, hope continues to bloom
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“In the Middle East, drones, missiles, and airstrikes continue to streak across the Gulf and, with more intensity, between Israel and Lebanon. Surrounded by these adjacent conflicts, Syria, however, as the Monitor’s Taylor Luck reports this week, is ‘an island of calm in the stormy Middle East’. And of buoyant hope. That is a credit to Syrians’ resilience and faith in progress, as they confront economic and political challenges and emerge from the aftermath of years of repression and civil war. Some credit is also due their former insurgent turned president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has sought to shore up stability and restore basic services, through civic conciliation and political pragmatism. For the international community, Syria’s current situation validates the hope and confidence placed in the government that ousted a brutal dictatorship in December 2024.” (06/10/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0610/In-Syria-hope-continues-to-bloom
-----
32) Jump the Inflation
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“A term in pop culture analysis, now a bit passé, is worth reviving: ‘jump the shark.’ … A spectacle so goofy that it can serve as a marker for any great moment when something really goes into steep decline. The second Trump Administration has had many such moments, but are any as odd and stupid as the president’s recent remark about the Consumer Price Index?” (06/11/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/06/11/jump-the-inflation/
-----
33) Trump and Co.’s Bumbling Attempt to Rob US Taxpayers Is Backfiring
Source: Truthdig
by Bill Blum
“Whoever designed President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department must be a fan of the Ocean’s Eleven movie franchise. The multi-act plot lines are strikingly similar: Put together a motley crew of risk takers; pick a seemingly invincible target rich in treasure; infiltrate the target; exploit its weaknesses; and get away with an improbable heist while the guards are asleep, distracted, or otherwise occupied. Act One of Trump’s story arc began on January 29, when he and his eldest sons and the Trump Organization filed the lawsuit in federal district court in Miami. If only briefly, it seemed like the plan just might work.” (06/11/26)
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/in-his-own-heist-movie-donald-trump-stars-as-the-loser/
-----
34) Standing Downstream from Dobbs
Source: Law & Liberty
by John O McGinnis
“Law professors have finally found a positive aspect of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the case that overruled Roe v. Wade’s creation of constitutionally protected abortion rights. They claim that its jurisprudential logic requires overruling two of the cases most hated by the left-liberal legal academy — Buckley v. Valeo, which recognized the right of citizens to spend money on candidates and causes at election time, and New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, which invalidated a regime that required a license granted only under strict conditions to carry a gun. But these claims misunderstand the common originalist basis, if not all the reasoning, of these decisions.” (06/11/26)
https://lawliberty.org/standing-downstream-from-dobbs/
-----
35) US Citizens Must Stop the Madness Their Empire Imposes on Them and the World
Source: Foreign Policy In Focus
by Elena Gutiérrez
“Since January 2026, when the intensification of US policies aimed at suffocating the Cuban people began, I have had the opportunity to travel to the island three times. Each time I return with my heart a little more broken, but also with a stronger conviction that we need to defend Cuba. As a Mexican, I have received, on behalf of my compatriots, thousands of expressions of gratitude and hugs that the Cuban people send to the Mexican people. Every time I am there, I speak about the empathy and understanding we have toward Cuba, about the great efforts ordinary Mexicans make to bring a few kilos of rice to collection centers. And when I listen to Cubans, I learn a little more about the deep history that unites us.” (06/11/26)
https://fpif.org/the-u-s-is-preparing-an-assault-on-cuba-it-should-learn-from-cuba-instead/
-----
36) Did New Deal Spending End the Great Depression?
Source: The Daily Economy
by Marcus M Witcher
“George Selgin’s ‘False Dawn’ empirically demolishes the claim that Franklin Roosevelt pursued a Keynesian recovery strategy.” (06/11/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/did-new-deal-spending-end-the-great-depression/
-----
37) How American Progressives Influenced Hitler
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by William L Anderson
“In a recent article, I agreed with Justice Clarence Thomas that progressivism did (and still does) much damage to our body politic and our society. Obviously, the so-called intelligentsia in academe, politics, and the media didn’t agree. What really set off the critics, however, was Thomas’s claim that progressivism had helped pave the way for Hitler, Stalin, and Mao. Hitler, of course, is universally hated while both Stalin and Mao — despite their mass murdering — were roundly praised by the western intellectuals and journalists. … [E]was not a minor point of progressive thinking and held only by a small minority at that. Instead, eugenics as promoted by American progressives was an important part of their entire belief system, which held to the supremacy of ‘science,’ as opposed to governance by mere passions.” (06/11/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/how-american-progressives-influenced-hitler
-----
38) An Unwarranted War, a Global Economic Drag
Source: Antiwar.com
by Dan Steinbock
“When the US-Iran conflict escalated earlier this year, the immediate concern centered on oil prices and the Strait of Hormuz. But the real danger was never confined to crude oil. The crisis has evolved into a broader energy, logistics, fertilizer, food and financial shock. What began as a regional conflict has become a structural drag on the global economy.” (06/11/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/dan_steinbock/2026/06/10/an-unwarranted-war-a-global-economic-drag/
-----
39) It must be June, as hysterical leftists [sic] whine they want to pack SCOTUS
Source: Fox News
by Kelly Shackelford
“It’s June, which means the U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to issue some of its most significant opinions of the term and, predictably, radicals on the political left are renewing their hysterical calls for sweeping changes to the court whenever decisions fail to align with their preferred policy outcomes. In recent years, virtually every Supreme Court ruling that has diverged from progressive policy preferences has been met with demands for so-called ‘court reform.’ This year, however, many prominent voices have abandoned any pretense of moderation, with demands for packing the court becoming the norm. U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, one of the most influential members of the Democratic Party, recently stated, ‘The Supreme Court is a disgrace. In the new Congress, we’re going to have to do something about this Supreme Court and let me be very clear: Everything is on the table — everything — to deal with this corrupt MAGA majority.'” (06/11/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/must-june-hysterical-leftists-whine-want-pack-supreme-court
-----
40) Politics never does kill what doesn’t work, does it?
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Tim Worstall
“Global Witness is telling us all that the things put in place to make sure that coltan (columbo-tantalite, a source of tantalum for mobile phone capacitors) does not come from slave driven mines aren’t working …. We agree, slave driven mines are a bad thing. It’s just that this problem was brought up before and a solution imposed. We disagreed with the solution imposed at the time as well, while Global Witness, Global Justice Now and the like all argued, vociferously, for that solution to be imposed. … In normal life something that’s an abject failure stops being done. In politics abject failure just carries on to the impoverishment of everyone — costs imposed that achieve nothing.” (06/11/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/politics-never-does-kill-what-doesnt-work-does-it
-----
41) Why a single “peace deal” for Ukraine war just won’t work
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Ian Proud
“The time is ripe for European leaders to set aside the self-licking summits in European capitals and get in the room with the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia to orchestrate a modern-day Helsinki Conference. A durable peace for Ukraine will require several interlocking agreements, each of which will be incredibly difficult to negotiate, but all of which will be vital if we are to avoid a general war in Europe.” (06/11/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/ukraine-russia-europe-talks/
-----
42) The Iran War’s Hidden Tax on American Households
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen
“The energy index surged 3.9% in May, accounting for the lion’s share, over 60%, of the monthly CPI gain. Gasoline prices jumped about 7% MoM (with even larger unadjusted moves) and sit 40.5% higher than a year ago. Overall energy costs are up 23.5% YoY. Food prices rose more modestly, while shelter costs continued their steady grind higher in the core measure. This isn’t abstract economic noise. It’s a direct hit to real incomes. … The primary culprit is unmistakable: the ongoing U.S.-involved conflict with Iran that Washington and Tel Aviv launched in late February 2026.” (06/11/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-iran-wars-hidden-tax-on-american-households
-----
43) Whose Privacy Rights Are They Anyway?
Source: The Dispatch
by Annalise DeVries
“There is a strain of anti-liberalism regarding women’s rights that goes from one end of the horseshoe to the other. Thirty years ago, it was post-modern scholars arguing that liberalism did not know how to adequately approach women’s womb-bearing bodies, and so the liberal political system ought to be dismantled. More recently, Christian nationalists have argued that women’s rights upset the natural order. As Doug Wilson, a Christian nationalist pastor, put it in an interview with CNN, women shouldn’t exert individual rights because they ‘are the kind of people other people come out of.’ While one’s inclination might be to scoff at these arguments, their common conviction that women’s rights expose the weakness of liberalism should give all of us pause.” (06/11/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/womens-rights-abortion-online-privacy-rights/
-----
44) You Can’t Blame Netanyahu for Israel’s Militarism
Source: The American Conservative
by Anik Joshi
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has been the longest serving prime minister of Israel, having assumed the office in 1996 and served off and on for a total of almost two decades. His upcoming election looks to be a tossup, so there’s a fair chance voters will show him the door. Even if they do, analysts would be fools to write him off altogether, as they’ve tried to do many times before. And even if ‘Bibi,’ as he is known, doesn’t find a way back to power, the hardline militarism he represents will probably dominate Israeli politics for a long time. … for all the blame the man receives, he is doing what he was elected to do, and even his most hawkish supporters are far from the fringes of Israeli politics.” (06/11/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/you-cant-blame-netanyahu-for-israels-militarism/
-----
45) How to Raise Birth Rates
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“I had a post on the subject a few months ago; a recent online discussion started me thinking about it again and I have some new ideas. One was due to a poster whose list of ways government could reduce the birth rate included banning divorce. I suspected he had it backwards. The obvious reason to think that is that modern societies have both easy divorce and low birth rates. But correlation is not causation; there are other plausible reasons for low birth rates, some discussed in my earlier post. There are better reasons.” (06/10/26)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/how-to-raise-birth-rates
-----
46) The FDA Finally Approved a New Sunscreen Ingredient. It Only Took Over 25 Years.
Source: Reason
by Meagan O’Rourke
“The U.S. has led the world in several innovations in recent decades: the iPhone, Facebook, and artificial intelligence. But when it comes to sunscreen, Americans have been living in the Dark Ages compared with Europe and Asia. That could be changing. This week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added bemotrizinol (BEMT) to its list of permitted active sunscreen ingredients, updating the list for the first time since 1999, according to National Geographic.” (06/10/26)
https://reason.com/2026/06/10/the-fda-finally-approved-a-new-sunscreen-ingredient-it-only-took-over-25-years/
-----
47) Attacking Iran Has Nothing to Do with Self-Defense
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“The U.S. is not defending itself or its forces when it launches more attacks on Iran. It is continuing the war of aggression that it began alongside Israel over three months ago.” (06/10/26)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/attacking-iran-has-nothing-to-do
-----
48) Immigration Laws Are Made to Be Broken
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“While I’ve done many debates on immigration, this is the first time that you can figure out the correct side without knowing anything about immigration. The resolution states: ‘Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should complete its mandate to deport all illegal aliens currently residing in the United States’ — and all means all. Which is a crazy view about the enforcement of even the best law imaginable. If we were debating ‘The NYPD should complete its mandate to imprison all murderers currently residing in New York City,’ every person here should still vote nay. How can I say such a thing? This is the basic economics of crime.” (06/10/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/immigration-laws-are-made-to-be-broken
-----
49) The Threat of Big Insurance
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“Earlier this month, the California-based organization Consumer Watchdog uncovered an incredible scandal involving rideshare company Uber, which we covered on the most recent episode of my podcast Organized Money. The company pleaded to the California legislature last year that its insurance costs had spiked so much that the state needed to decrease required payouts on its mandated uninsured motorist coverage. ‘They literally said 45 cents out of every dollar is going to insurance,’ Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, told me. It turned out that these excessive insurance payments were going to a Hawaii-based company called Aleka that is run by Uber executives. Aleka was raising rates on Uber higher than other insurers, but that money just got transferred into a reserve bank account under Uber’s control.” (06/11/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/06/11/threat-of-big-insurance-lobbying-congress-donations/
-----
50) For now, censorship stays at the University of Alabama
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Marie McMullan
“We need to talk about Bama. The University of Alabama delivered a real blow to the student magazine editors, writers, and photographers who staffed Alice and Nineteen Fifty-Six last December. UA shut down these publications, which focused on women and black students, citing a nonbinding memo from then-U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi that warned against the use of ‘unlawful proxies’ for discrimination. What followed was a scene from a student media horror story: Student journalists lost access to their old facilities, and administrators refused to reopen the publications, even after condemnation from student press advocates — including FIRE’s Student Press Freedom Initiative — came flooding in.” (06/10/26)
https://www.fire.org/news/now-censorship-stays-university-alabama
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Pink Flame of Liberty, 06/11/26
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“CHRISTLESS NATIONALISM: James White is Right!” (06/11/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeywxZWYN4I
-----
52) Dangerous History Podcast, episode 288
Source: Libertarian Institute
"‘The Mad Dream of Conquest,’ Pt. II." (06/11/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/dangerous-history-podcast/dhpep288/
-----
53) Cato Podcast, 06/11/26
Source: Cato Institute
“Economics In One World Cup.” (06/11/26)
https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-podcast/economics-one-world-cup
-----
54) Underthrow Podcast, 06/11/26
Source: Underthrow
“The Paradox of Gender Equality.” (06/11/26)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/the-paradox-of-gender-equality
-----
55) Show-Me Institute Podcast, 06/11/26
Source: Show-Me Institute
“Missouri’s Stalled Education Reforms with Cory Koedel.” (06/11/26)
https://showmeinstitute.org/article/education/missouris-stalled-education-reforms-with-cory-koedel/
-----
56) The Smartphone, A Modern Miracle of Free Trade
Source: Cobden Centre
“This speech was given at the Beurs van Berlage, which was built as the Amsterdam Stock Exchange more than a century ago. Amsterdam was a pioneer of free trade and free enterprise for centuries. One of the companies [Max Rangeley] discussed was ASML, a Dutch company that is arguably the most important in the world right now for microchip fabrication, having pioneered extreme ultraviolet lithography, which enables intricate nanoscale manufacturing.” (06/11/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/06/speech-in-amsterdam-the-smartphone-a-modern-miracle-of-free-trade/
-----
57) The Blessings of Liberty with Jeffrey Rosen, 06/11/26
Source: The Blessings of Liberty with Jeffrey Rosen
“A Conversation with Justice Breyer.” (06/11/26)
https://rosenjeffrey.substack.com/p/a-conversation-with-justice-breyer
-----
58) Homeschool Workshop, 06/10/26
Source: Homeschool Workshop
“How do Homeschool kids graduate high school?” (06/10/26)
https://rumble.com/v7b3w10-how-do-homeschool-kids-graduate-high-school.html
-----
59) Kibbe on Liberty, episode 390
Source: Free the People
“Bitcoin Is Here to Stay | Guest: Saifedean Ammous.” (06/10/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bn5oABFFgI
-----
60) The Science of Politics, 06/10/26
Source: Niskanen Center
“Will young Americans become long-term democrats?” (06/10/26)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/will-young-americans-become-long-term-democrats
-----
61) Questions For Corbett, 06/10/26
Source: The Corbett Report
“Why Is NATO Being Demolished?” (06/10/26)
https://corbettreport.com/why-is-nato-being-demolished/
-----
62) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/10/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“US Attacks Iran for Second Night, Hegseth Threatens Cuba at Guantanamo Bay, and More.” (06/10/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRF-cAgfqWg
-----
63) Half the Answer, episode 87
Source: Liberal Currents
“Bari Weiss Is Supposed to Do the News Now … with Radley Balko.” (06/10/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/bari-weiss-is-supposed-to-do-the-news-now-half-the-answer-87-with-radley-balko/
-----
64) Soho Forum Debate: Should ICE Deport All Illegal Aliens?
Source: Reason
“Simon Hankinson and Bryan Caplan debate immigration enforcement.” (06/10/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/06/10/should-ice-deport-all-illegal-aliens/
-----
65) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 06/10/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Scott Horton Breaks Down What’s Really Happening.” (06/10/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/the-kyle-anzalone-show-scott-horton-breaks-down-whats-really-happening/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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