06/16 -- Trump Signs Preliminary Instrument of Surrender to Iran, but Terms Remain Secret; Trump's Iran Deal Is a Humiliation for Him -- and Good News for the World
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Thomas L. Knapp
Jun 16, 2026, 6:09:47 AM (11 days ago) Jun 16
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 06/16/26
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Trump Signs Preliminary Instrument of Surrender to Iran, but Terms Remain Secret
2) CA: Eight killed in B-52 bomber crash
3) Profit-taking across bitcoin, ether, solana as traders wait on the Iran signing
4) Arbitration tribunal rejects bulk of Ukraine’s Kerch Strait case against Russia
5) UK: Court says regime’s ban on Palestine Action under terror legislation was lawful
6) Ecuador: Prosecutor killed in latest attack on regime officials
7) SCOTUS declines former Trump aide’s lawsuit over surveillance
8) Hungary: Parliament votes for eight-year term limit for prime minister
9) SCOTUS turns away challenge to New York gun company shakedown law
10) BBC investigation: Russian regime was behind arson attacks targeting Starmer
11) Major attack on Arch Linux: Massive malware injection into the AUR
12) NJ: Gang member opens fire at fleeing victim’s van
13) Switzerland: G7 protesters clash with police in Geneva
14) GA: Federal judge who had sex in chambers apologizes to former clerk as impeachment push ramps up
15) US FDA upgrades Alfredo sauce recall to highest risk level over potential salmonella contamination
16) UK: Starmer publicly fantasizes that he can ban kids from social media
17) Fox to buy Roku streaming firm in $22 billion deal
18) FL: Scientists set record after removing four tons of invasive Burmese pythons
19) WA: Legislators fight to stop Trump regime dismantling of $386 million ocean observatory project
20) Stepson of Norway’s crown prince jailed for four years in rape case
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Trump’s Iran Deal Is a Humiliation for Him — and Good News for the World
22) A Requiem for Privacy
23) Tobacco policy should reflect the world as it is
24) When Money Has an Off Switch, So Does Your Freedom
25) Congress’s Failure is Liberty’s Gain
26) The Art of the Non-Deal
27) Trump is stealing Americans’ faith in elections
28) Taxing Away Success
29) The World’s First Trillionaire Is Not Your Friend
30) What the Trillionaire Can’t Do
31) Tulsi Gabbard Makes a Grand Exit
32) Congress Should Be in No Rush To Renew FISA’s Section 702 Surveillance Powers
33) Embrace the US-Iran MOU, But Understand It’s Only a First Step
34) The Kratom Civil War Is Heating Up, and MAHA Has Picked a Side
35) The Limits of Democracy
36) SpaceX Monetizes the Future
37) Elon Musk vs. the Democrats: Outcomes vs. Process
38) Trump keeps baiting Democrats into fights that don’t matter
39) The Taiwan Lobby moves to put a full court press on Trump
40) The Bipartisan Roots of Trump’s War in Latin America
41) Trump’s Iran War Played Out Exactly as Anti-War Critics Warned It Would
42) The Long Tradition of Wealth-Extracting Socialists
43) Moloch in the Regulatory State
44) Jailed by an Algorithm: The Surveillance State Fails
45) How SPLC drives demonization of its conservative foes
46) Protests Are Not Emotional Support Groups
47) John Dickinson and the Case Against Independence
48) Movies for Queers Who Like Revolution
49) Graham Platner Prepares to Take On Susan Collins
50) Gordon Wood, the Bard of the American Revolution
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 06/15/26
52) LPALive, episode 75
53) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 06/15/26
54) Rising, 06/15/26
55) EconTalk, 06/15/26
56) TechTank, season 5, episode 43
57) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/14/26
58) Pink Flame of Liberty, 06/14/26
59) Eric Fowler on The Scott Horton Show
60) Zooming In, 06/14/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Trump Signs Preliminary Instrument of Surrender to Iran, but Terms Remain Secret
Source: New York Times
“The United States and Iran have signed a framework agreement ending their monthslong war, but neither side had published the deal’s full text, and on Monday American and Iranian officials continued to make conflicting statements about its terms. The agreement’s immediate scope was focused primarily on ending military attacks and allowing traffic to resume through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s vital shipping lanes. American and Iranian officials acknowledged that they had put off discussions of their most serious disagreements until a later round of talks. The agreement did not appear to fulfill the objectives President Trump promised at the start of the conflict in February: destroying Iran’s military capabilities, abolishing its nuclear ambitions and toppling its theocratic leadership.” (06/15/26)
https://archive.is/6MWdH
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2) CA: Eight killed in B-52 bomber crash
Source: Sky News [UK]
“Eight people have been killed after a United States Air Force bomber crashed shortly after taking off from an American base, officials have said. The B-52 Stratofortress came down shortly after taking off from the Edwards Air Force Base in California just after 11.20am local time on Monday (7.20pm UK time). The base said in a statement that the bomber had been carrying eight people during a ‘routine test mission’ when it crashed. … The B-52 Stratofortress, which entered service in 1955, is a long-range bomber designed to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons.” (06/16/26)
https://news.sky.com/story/us-b-52-bomber-crashes-shortly-after-take-off-from-base-in-california-13554459
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3) Profit-taking across bitcoin, ether, solana as traders wait on the Iran signing
Source: CoinDesk
“Bitcoin briefly traded above $67,000 late Monday before slipping back under $66,000 in a move that is indicative of how cautiously crypto is treating the Iran peace deal that has rallied other markets. The token changed hands at $65,845 on Tuesday, up 0.3% over 24 hours and 4.8% on the week, per CoinDesk data. It touched a 24-hour high of $67,217 before fading. Ether held up better, rising 2.8% on the day to $1,764 and 5.8% on the week. Solana gained 3.2% to $73, XRP added 3.2% to $1.22 and Hyperliquid’s HYPE led the majors again, up 6.3% to $69.” (06/16/26)
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/06/16/profit-taking-across-bitcoin-ether-solana-as-traders-wait-on-the-iran-signing
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4) Arbitration tribunal rejects bulk of Ukraine’s Kerch Strait case against Russia
Source: Reuters
“An international court found that Russia flouted some sea laws during the construction of the Kerch Strait bridge between mainland Russia and annexed Crimea, but dismissed Ukraine’s claims that Moscow was unlawfully trying to keep the strait under its sole control, a ruling published on Monday showed. The case at the Hague-based intergovernmental Permanent Court of Arbitration was filed in 2016 after Moscow began building the 19-km (12-mile) Crimea Bridge link to the peninsula. In a ruling dated April 22 but only announced on Monday, as per the arbitration court’s procedures, the court dismissed the majority of Kyiv’s claims about Russia’s control over the strait on procedural grounds.” (06/15/26)
https://www.reuters.com/world/arbitration-tribunal-rejects-bulk-ukraines-kerch-strait-case-against-russia-2026-06-15/
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5) UK: Court says regime’s ban on Palestine Action under terror legislation was lawful
Source: SFGate
“The British government acted lawfully when it banned the protest group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization, the Court of Appeal in London ruled on Monday. Chief Justice Sue Carr said the group went far beyond staging non-violent demonstrations to launch destructive attacks on defense companies, banks, and a military base. ‘It is not, as claimed, a direct action civil disobedience protest group like the suffragettes, operating transparently in the open,’ Carr said. ‘It is a covert organization which operates with secret cells to avoid the detection and prosecution of those using violence to destroy property and cause injury.’ The ruling overturned a February decision by three senior High Court judges who found that, despite the group promoting its political cause through some crimes, the scale of its activities did not warrant a ban.” (06/15/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/uk-s-ban-on-palestine-action-under-terror-22305417.php
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6) Ecuador: Prosecutor killed in latest attack on regime officials
Source: United Press International
“Ecuador’s Attorney General’s Office said a new attack targeting justice officials left a prosecutor dead in the port city of Manta. Veteran criminal prosecutor Alexandra Bravo and her sister, Olinda Bravo, were shot and killed in broad daylight Sunday, raising renewed concerns about the security risks faced by judges and prosecutors in a country operating under a state-declared ‘internal armed conflict’ against powerful drug trafficking organizations. Authorities said the attack occurred as the sisters were leaving a restaurant and walking toward their parked vehicle. A gunman approached them and fired multiple shots at close range. Both women died at the scene, while the attacker escaped.” (06/15/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/06/15/latam-ecuador-prosecutor-lkilled/5591781540127/
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7) SCOTUS declines former Trump aide’s lawsuit over surveillance
Source: CBS News
“The Supreme Court on Monday turned away ex-Trump campaign aide Carter Page’s attempt to revive a lawsuit against former FBI Director James Comey and other senior FBI officials over surveillance warrants obtained by the bureau during its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. The Supreme Court’s denial of the case came after the Trump administration said in April it had reached a $1.25 million settlement with Page. He had appealed a lower court decision dismissing his lawsuit against the Justice Department, FBI and eight named individuals, including Comey. The Justice Department’s settlement involved only Page’s claims against the U.S. government, not the individual FBI officials.” (06/15/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-trump-campaign-aide-carter-page-jim-comey/
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8) Hungary: Parliament votes for eight-year term limit for prime minister
Source: Politico
“Hungarian lawmakers on Monday passed a constitutional amendment that would ban Viktor Orbán from returning to power. The amendment, approved by 135 votes in favor and 50 against, would limit prime ministers to just eight years in office if it becomes law. The amendment is written to apply retroactively, meaning that Viktor Orbán could not return as Hungary’s prime minister. Orbán served as prime minister for a total of 20 years. … The amendment will now head to the desk of Tamás Sulyok, the Fidesz-appointed president of Hungary. Magyar is currently trying to oust Sulyok and other Orbán-appointed officials as he cleans house in the new government. Sulyok has refused Magyar’s request to resign voluntarily. Should Sulyok return the legislation to lawmakers, they could overrule his concerns in a second vote.” (06/15/26)
https://archive.is/U8Kts
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9) SCOTUS turns away challenge to New York gun company shakedown law
Source: NBC News
“The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a challenge to a New York law that sets out a legal pathway to hold gunmakers accountable for harm caused by their weapons [sic]. The court’s decision not to intervene means the 2021 law remains in effect. It allows for various legal claims against gun manufacturers under state law, including alleged conduct that endangers the public health [sic] of New Yorkers. The law, which was immediately challenged in court after being enacted, was written specifically to circumvent a 2005 federal law called the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act that created a liability shield for gunmakers. It could still face future legal challenges.” (06/15/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-turns-away-challenge-new-york-firearms-liability-law-rcna349068
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10) BBC investigation: Russian regime was behind arson attacks targeting Starmer
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Even after he set fire to Sir Keir Starmer’s house, Roman Lavrynovych – convicted on Monday of conspiring to commit arson – seemed to know as much about the prime minister as a bullet knows about its target. His anonymous handler, known by the initials EL, gave a clue in a message: ‘Look, you attacked the home of a very high-ranking person in Britain. I’ll send you money, you need to leave the city.’ It was too late: Lavrynovych was arrested within hours. … Our investigation has found the arson attack was just one part of an extensive campaign of sabotage, provocation and lies leading all the way to the Russian state. … Russian operatives ran their sabotage and provocation campaign remotely through social media and the messaging app Telegram, we found, creating fake online far-right and Muslim groups, which were used to organise acts of vandalism in the UK and stir up division and fear.” (06/15/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8r2l352z2do
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11) Major attack on Arch Linux: Massive malware injection into the AUR
Source: Research Snipers
“Arch Linux continues to struggle with a large-scale malware wave in its user repository AUR (Arch User Repository). This is currently literally flooded with malware. The attack continues and becomes more sophisticated. After the developers behind the Linux distribution initially assumed that they had brought the security incident under control with more than 1,500 affected packages in which malicious code was integrated, further manipulated code submissions have now been discovered. … The incident once again raises questions about the security of the AUR. Unlike the official Arch Linux package sources, the repository is maintained by users who can provide their own software packages there. Given the repeated findings, some observers are calling for additional protective measures or even a temporary shutdown of the service until more effective security controls can be put in place.” (06/15/26)
https://researchsnipers.com/major-attack-on-arch-linux-massive-malware-injection-into-the-aur/
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12) NJ: Gang member opens fire at fleeing victim’s van
Source: New York Post
“An ICE agent in New Jersey was struck by a van driven by a fleeing suspect and opened fire on the vehicle, striking it several times, authorities said. The incident happened Monday morning around 9:30 a.m. in Stafford Township, about 60 miles east of Philadelphia as the agency was trying to capture a suspect. The officer’s condition was not immediately known, but sources told NBC Philadelphia that he is expected to recover.” [editor’s note: Perhaps after recovering, he or she will give up the thug life and get an honest job – TLK] (06/15/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/06/15/us-news/ice-agent-in-nj-hit-by-fleeing-suspect-in-van-opens-fire/
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13) Switzerland: G7 protesters clash with police in Geneva
Source: Deutsche Welle [German state media]
“Clashes broke out between protesters and police near the United Nations (UN) building in Geneva on Sunday on the eve of the G7 summit in the nearby French resort town of Evian. Demonstrators threw bottles, stones and firecrackers at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons. Witnesses cited by the AFP and Reuters news agencies said protesters targeted the offices of the UN’s telecommunication building and threw flares as police tried to clear them from the site.” (06/15/26)
https://www.dw.com/en/police-fire-tear-gas-at-anti-g7-protesters-in-geneva/a-77548464
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14) GA: Federal judge who had sex in chambers apologizes to former clerk as impeachment push ramps up
Source: Fox News
“A federal judge in Georgia has apologized to a former law clerk for ‘harmful, offensive, and unprofessional behavior’ amid allegations she had engaged in sexual activity with a high-ranking uniformed police officer in her office during working hours and within earshot of staff. The apology comes as two House Republicans from Georgia have filed articles of impeachment for U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross. ‘You deserved better than to have your experience marred by my own offensive conflict,’ Ross, who serves in the Northern District of Georgia, wrote in a letter last week, adding that her ‘actions were patently wrong, and there is no excuse’, and her previous letter to the clerk was ‘entirely deficient, as I did not take full accountability for my actions, and I failed to give you the apology that you deserve.'” (06/15/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/federal-judge-sex-chambers-apologizes-former-clerk-impeachment-push-ramps
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15) US FDA upgrades Alfredo sauce recall to highest risk level over potential salmonella contamination
Source: ABC News
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has elevated a recall of Alfredo sauce distributed in 41 states to its most serious classification after they say a supplier flagged an ingredient for possible Salmonella contamination. According to the FDA notice, Tennessee-based The Coffee Connexion Co. Inc. voluntarily recalled the product on May 6 because it contains a dry milk powder ingredient that was recalled by the supplier due to potential Salmonella contamination.” (06/14/26)
https://abcnews.com/GMA/Food/fda-upgrades-alfredo-sauce-recall-highest-risk-level/story?id=133869068
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16) UK: Starmer publicly fantasizes that he can ban kids from social media
Source: Associated Press
“Britain will ban under-16s from using a range of social media apps, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday, calling it ‘a big moment for our country.’ Starmer told a news conference that he will fight back if technology companies resist the move, intended to [grandstand on the fantasy of ‘protecting’] children from harmful content and excessive screen time. He said he is ‘not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children.’ The move makes the U.K. part of growing global movement to tighten online safety for children. Australia, Canada, Brazil and Indonesia have introduced legislation or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children’s access to social media. France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are among others studying or developing similar approaches.” (06/15/26)
https://apnews.com/article/uk-teen-social-media-ban-starmer-55de428636b586ff5553b604783f6fb3
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17) Fox to buy Roku streaming firm in $22 billion deal
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Media giant Fox is buying streaming firm Roku in a deal the companies say will create the third largest player in US TV by share of viewing. Fox’s move is being seen as a bet that combining streaming with its news and sport offering will leave it in a strong position as TV audiences move online. The offer of $160 per share, made up of cash and stock, values Roku at $22bn (£16bn). ‘This is a defining moment for Fox, and a natural extension of the deliberate and focused strategy we have been executing for nearly a decade,’ said Fox chief executive Lachlan Murdoch. ‘In 2019, we reoriented the company around live news and sports. In 2020, we acquired Tubi and under our stewardship it has become one of the most successful businesses in streaming.'” [editor’s note: As a long-time Roku device owner/subscriber, I hope Fox doesn’t ruin the service – TLK] (06/15/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cql1yew3vezo
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18) FL: Scientists set record after removing four tons of invasive Burmese pythons
Source: Seattle Times
“Four tons of invasive Burmese pythons were removed from South Florida ecosystems during the latest breeding season, setting a record for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. The achievement marks a new milestone in the fight against the giant snakes, which are considered one of the greatest threats to the Everglades ecosystem because of their ability to prey on mammals, birds and other native wildlife. The Conservancy said it removed more python biomass this season than at any point since launching its research and removal program in 2013. … the team captured 177 invasive Burmese pythons with a combined weight of 8,080 pounds.” (06/14/26)
https://archive.is/qM1VJ
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19) WA: Legislators fight to stop Trump regime dismantling of $386 million ocean observatory project
Source: SFGate
“A group of Democratic senators and one Republican, as well as two Democratic House committees, sent letters Monday to the National Science Foundation asking it to reverse course on its plan to dismantle a sprawling ocean monitoring network, with House lawmakers going further and accusing the agency of acting illegally. The Ocean Observatories Initiative is a network of more than 900 ocean sensors built at a cost of $386 million. Over the last decade it has tracked ocean circulation, marine ecosystems, climate change and extreme weather, producing data freely available to the public and informing more than 500 scientific publications. The project was slated to run another 15 to 20 years. The National Science Foundation had directed the removal of most of the system’s instruments from waters off Oregon, Washington, Alaska, North Carolina and Greenland by 2027 — a decision scientists said came with no warning and no scientific review.” (06/15/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/lawmakers-fight-to-stop-the-trump-22305520.php
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20) Stepson of Norway’s crown prince jailed for four years in rape case
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“An Oslo district court has sentenced Marius Borg Hoiby, the stepson of Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon, to four years in prison for rape and other crimes. Hoiby, 29, became part of the royal family when his mother, Mette-Marit, married Haakon in 2001. The court convicted Hoiby of two counts of rape as well as domestic violence against his former partner Nora Haukland and narcotics offences. He was acquitted on two separate rape counts with judges finding insufficient proof that the encounters were nonconsensual. One of the rapes he was convicted of took place in the basement of the crown prince’s official Skaugum residence. While denying the rape charges, Hoiby had pleaded guilty to domestic abuse and transporting 3.5kg (7.7lb) of marijuana in 2020.” (06/15/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/15/stepson-of-norways-crown-prince-jailed-for-four-years-in-rape-case
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Trump’s Iran Deal Is a Humiliation for Him — and Good News for the World
Source: The Nation
by Jeet Heer
“The attack on Iran that Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched in February has disrupted the global economy, sending oil prices spiking, while utterly failing in its stated objective of regime change. Voters widely, and accurately, view the war as an unmitigated disaster. … Trump launched a foolish and unnecessary war, which the United States has lost decisively. The war proves the US and Israel have limited ability to restrain Iran. So the only alternative is negotiation.” (06/15/26)
https://archive.is/6BCzA
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22) A Requiem for Privacy
Source: Antiwar.com
by Andrew P Napolitano
“Before 9/11, no one in law enforcement was permitted access to data obtained outside the restraints imposed by the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution. Those restraints prohibit searches and seizures — in the modern parlance, surveillance and data acquisition — without a search warrant issued by a judge based on probable cause of crime, sworn to under oath. And the warrant itself must specifically describe the places to be searched and the persons or things to be seized. Since 9/11, the wall between surveillance and law enforcement has collapsed even though the feds still maintain that the Fourth Amendment only regulates law enforcement and not surveillance. This wild proposition is defied by the plain language of the amendment, which protects all persons from all government, and by the history of the colonists dealing with British government agents executing general warrants issued by a secret court in London.” (06/15/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2026/06/14/a-requiem-for-privacy
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23) Tobacco policy should reflect the world as it is
Source: Bluegrass Institute
by Caleb O Brown & Jeffrey A Singer
“If reports are correct that Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary resigned under pressure from the White House to approve flavored nicotine vaping products, the episode says a great deal about the state of American tobacco policy. Cigarettes remain legal, ubiquitous, and extraordinarily deadly. Yet smoke-free alternatives that may help adults move away from combustible tobacco continue to trigger political panic out of proportion to the actual public health trade-offs involved. There is something deeply unserious about how Washington talks about nicotine. Cigarettes, the most dangerous products in the category, remain widely available. Smoke-free alternatives, however, are often treated as if their very existence is beyond the pale.” (06/15/26)
https://www.bluegrassinstitute.org/tobacco-world-as-it-is/
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24) When Money Has an Off Switch, So Does Your Freedom
Source: Cato Institute
by Norbert J Michel
“True liberty cannot exist without economic and financial autonomy. Every individual, regardless of their background, must have the right to protect their wealth. They must have the right to access open markets by transacting freely, without the shadow of state corporatism or financial surveillance. Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) are a direct threat to these rights. They are money that can be programmed by the government. They can be turned off completely or just for spending on items the state disapproves of. They are a surveillance-punishment system dressed in the language of financial innovation.” (06/15/26)
https://www.cato.org/blog/when-money-has-switch-so-does-freedom
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25) Congress’s Failure is Liberty’s Gain
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
by Ron Paul
“The only way to protect the American people’s liberty is to dismantle the surveillance state and stop trading real liberty for phantom security. True security comes from replacing militarism and authoritarianism with liberty and peace.” (06/15/26)
http://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/congresss-failure-is-libertys-gain
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26) The Art of the Non-Deal
Source: Persuasion
by Francis Fukuyama
“So Donald Trump, on his 80th birthday, announced a deal in which there would be a 60-day ceasefire. Precise details have not yet been officially published. But, according to reports, they apparently include a cessation of attacks in Lebanon, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz … and lifting the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports. He touted this as a key win, in the process praising China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin for helping secure it. This ‘deal’ was nothing of the sort. If the reports are accurate, it instead represented a total U.S. capitulation to Iran. It basically set the clock back to February, when the Strait was open and the United States and Israel had not yet started bombing the Islamic Republic. It merely solved a problem that Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had themselves created by launching the war in the first place.” (06/15/25)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-art-of-the-non-deal
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27) Trump is stealing Americans’ faith in elections
Source: Seattle Times
by Jackie Calmes
“Trump’s Big Lie about rigged elections and Democrats’ supposed cheating — California being his latest target — is by now so familiar that many of us are all but inured to it, and have been for a long time. That’s understandable, and arguably good for our mental health, but collectively dangerous for the nation. The majority of Republican voters accept the lie as truth. What better time than the summer of the nation’s 250th anniversary of independence to reflect on how Trump’s years of lying have corroded the citizenry’s essential belief in the integrity of elections? Attention must be paid, especially ahead of midterm elections in November.” (06/15/26)
https://archive.is/zetXd
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28) Taxing Away Success
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Mark Moses
“We are witnessing a troubling migration — a flight of capital and talent from states that have adopted increasingly aggressive tax policies. Elon Musk moved Tesla and X from California to Texas; Palantir relocated to Colorado. High-profile individuals and corporations are pulling up stakes and relocating to states with more favorable tax policies. A casual observer might interpret such migrations as a strategic response to changing cost structures. But that framing misses the deeper issue. These departures are not just about lowering costs; they reflect an effort to exit a system that has decidedly turned against them.” (06/15/26)
https://fee.org/articles/taxing-away-success/
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29) The World’s First Trillionaire Is Not Your Friend
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“It’s so pathetic watching Elon Musk’s groveling bootlickers fall all over themselves on social media to defend their favorite oligarch from criticism as he becomes the world’s first trillionaire. They’re like ‘Don’t be mean to the trillionaire, just become a trillionaire yourself! All you need is luck, connections, wealthy parents, the ruthlessness to step on anyone who gets in your way, and a willingness to cooperate with murderous imperial institutions like the Pentagon and the CIA!’ Elon Musk is a military-industrial complex plutocrat who is balls deep in the US intelligence cartel and recently facilitated the US-Israeli attempted regime change operation in Iran. You have infinitely more in common with the average person in Iran, Cuba, Lebanon or Palestine than you have with the world’s first trillionaire.” (06/14/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/06/14/the-worlds-first-trillionaire-is-not-your-friend-and-other-notes/
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30) What the Trillionaire Can’t Do
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Mr. Musk’s wealth is in the company that just took on new investors, driving up his shares. If he started selling his shares, the value of the stock would plummet before he found enough buyers. It is Mr. Musk’s managerial genius and technological vision that is responsible for the company’s success, so any step back from control — even by relinquishing stock — would almost certainly spell disaster. And if he vanished off the face of the Earth, our global civilization would feel it. What Elon Musk’s envious haters do not seem to understand is that Musk succeeds by developing products that people, businesses, and governments are willing to pay big bucks for.” (06/15/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/06/15/what-the-trillionaire-cant-do/
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31) Tulsi Gabbard Makes a Grand Exit
Source: Town Hall
by Jeff Crouere
“The Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard, will be officially leaving her post on June 19. She is resigning to care for her husband, who is battling a rare form of bone cancer. Gabbard has enjoyed a remarkably successful tenure as DNI and is using her final days in office to unleash several bombshell reports. On Friday, Gabbard rescinded two intelligence assessments from the administration of President Joe Biden regarding the mysterious set of ailments known as ‘Havana Syndrome,’ which has sickened our spies and diplomats on missions throughout the world. … the Biden administration downplayed the reports and dismissed the possibility that the ailments were caused by a foreign adversary. Gabbard blasted these findings for excluding key information, suppressing ‘alternative analysis,’ and using an ‘ethically flawed medical study.'” (06/15/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/jeffcrouere/2026/06/15/tulsi-gabbard-makes-a-grand-exit-n2677752
----
32) Congress Should Be in No Rush To Renew FISA’s Section 702 Surveillance Powers
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“It’s long past time to open federal surveillance powers to scrutiny and reform.” (06/15/26)
https://reason.com/2026/06/15/congress-should-be-in-no-rush-to-renew-fisas-section-702-surveillance-powers/
----
33) Embrace the US-Iran MOU, But Understand It’s Only a First Step
Source: Informed Comment
by Juan Cole
“Early Monday morning Islamabad time, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that ‘Following intensive talks, we are pleased to announce that the Peace Deal between the United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran has been REACHED. Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon. The official signing ceremony will be on Friday, 19 June in Switzerland.’ Pakistan and Qatar had been the lead negotiators, though Qatar’s negotiating team appears to have sealed the deal Sunday with a marathon 14-hour session. The White House concurred. US President Donald Trump posted that the deal with Iran is ‘complete’ and that he would immediately lift the US blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and is announcing its ‘toll-free’ opening. ‘Let the oil flow’, he said.” (06/15/26)
https://www.juancole.com/2026/06/iran-agreement-talking.html
----
34) The Kratom Civil War Is Heating Up, and MAHA Has Picked a Side
Source: Wired
by Mattha Busby
“A decade ago, kratom advocates fought a surprisingly successful campaign against a proposed Drug Enforcement Administration ban that claimed the obscure Southeast Asian plant posed ‘an imminent hazard to public safety.’ They won bipartisan allies from Bernie Sanders to Rand Paul, and helped create a billion-dollar industry out of kratom, which has pain-relieving effects they said could help fight the opioid epidemic as a far safer, natural alternative to pills. Now, many of those same pro-kratom activists are calling for a ban on products containing concentrates of one of kratom’s active components: 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, an ultra-potent extract with opioid-like effects. And it’s causing major friction amongst consumers, sellers, and advocates of both substances.” (06/15/26)
https://archive.is/PnMxR
----
35) The Limits of Democracy
Source: Law & Liberty
by James Huffman
“More democracy will not solve America’s political woes. We must revitalize the counter-majoritarian elements of the Constitution.” (06/15/26)
https://lawliberty.org/the-limits-of-democracy/
----
36) SpaceX Monetizes the Future
Source: Gideon’s Substack
by Noah Millman
“Buying SpaceX shares was never something I was likely to do. I understand the perspectives of the enthusiastic, the skeptical and the outraged, but I recognize that my inclination toward the skeptical camp is substantially personality-driven. I’m just congenitally skeptical. But I think one thing all three camps may not be acknowledging as fully as they should is the degree to which pricing a company like SpaceX is genuinely extremely difficult because to such a considerable degree what drives its value is a portfolio of real business options, which are inherently difficult to value. That doesn’t usually matter because real business options are usually only marginal factors in valuing a large company like SpaceX. But we’ve entered a world where there are real business options of plausibly extraordinary value, and that world is just genuinely very weird.” (06/15/26)
https://gideons.substack.com/p/spacex-monetizes-the-future
----
37) Elon Musk vs. the Democrats: Outcomes vs. Process
Source: American Greatness
by Stephen Soukup
“Years ago, when my oldest son was a Boy Scout, he was asked to write a report/make a presentation on a modern American ‘hero.’ He chose Elon Musk, and I, of course, rolled my eyes so hard they nearly popped out of my head. I knew Musk was a successful businessman, but I also knew that he was both an advocate for and a seasoned manipulator of Big Government. Tesla, for example, received a $465 million Department of Energy loan in 2010 under the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program, a Big Government scheme to encourage private companies to advance Big Government priorities (namely, fighting Climate Change by reducing carbon emissions). Likewise, Tesla was, at least at the time, commercially viable only because of the more than $1 billion ($7,500/vehicle) in federal EV tax credits claimed by its buyers.” (06/15/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/06/15/elon-musk-vs-the-democrats-outcomes-vs-process/
----
38) Trump keeps baiting Democrats into fights that don’t matter
Source: USA Today
by Dace Potas
“Democrats have a nasty habit of criticizing President Donald Trump for the wrong reasons. They latch onto the most visceral thing he has done lately and let it crowd out more legitimate criticisms. The latest example is the renovation of the National Mall’s Reflecting Pool. Crews painted the bottom a deep blue, which Trump claimed would improve reflectivity – and by most accounts, it has. His opponents say otherwise. California Gov. Gavin Newsom insisted the project was a mess, the Democratic Party maintained it was ineffective, and the media sought out historians who spoke against the project. Trump is often difficult to attack precisely because there is so much noise. Democrats reach for the most trivial targets, and in doing so, the more important points can get lost. They should spend less time on the nonsense and more on what actually matters.” (06/15/26)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/06/15/trump-paint-lincoln-memorial-white-house-ballroom-criticism/90506951007/
----
39) The Taiwan Lobby moves to put a full court press on Trump
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Joseph Solis-Mullen
“Perhaps fearful of abandonment, or of being treated as a mere ‘bargaining chip’ in negotiations with Beijing, Taiwan has worked diligently to ingratiate itself with President Donald Trump’s inner circle. Just last month, Taipei hired Checkmate Government Relations, a firm whose founder, Ches McDowell, enjoys close ties to Donald Trump Jr. and access to the president himself. The six-month contract is worth roughly $300,000. The move follows Taiwan’s 2025 decision to retain Ballard Partners, another well-connected Washington firm led by prominent Trump fundraiser Brian Ballard. Yet Taiwan’s influence operation is hardly confined to one party.” (06/15/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/taiwan-trump/
----
40) The Bipartisan Roots of Trump’s War in Latin America
Source: Libertarian Institute
by José Niño
“When a resurfaced clip of Joe Biden’s 1989 speech went viral in December 2025, it created an awkward moment for Democrats attacking President Donald Trump’s military campaign against alleged drug boats. In that speech, delivered as the official Democratic Party response to President George H.W. Bush’s address on the crack cocaine epidemic, then-Senator Biden declared with unmistakable clarity what he wanted the United States to do. … That 1989 rhetoric now reads like a blueprint for exactly what the Trump administration has done since September 2025, when U.S. forces began destroying vessels that the Pentagon claims are operated by cartel-linked organizations—starting in the Caribbean off Venezuela and expanding to the eastern Pacific in October.” (06/15/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-bipartisan-roots-of-trumps-war-in-latin-america/
----
41) Trump’s Iran War Played Out Exactly as Anti-War Critics Warned It Would
Source: Common Dreams
by Matt Duss
“The following is a statement released in response to news of an interim agreement between the US and Iran for a ceasefire in the war started by the US and Israel on February 28, 2026. With news of a ceasefire agreement to end the disastrous and unnecessary US-Israeli war on Iran, the tragic failure of Donald Trump’s Iran policy has now played out exactly as anti-war critics warned it would. Trump said that his war on Iran would be quick, decisive and force the regime to totally capitulate or collapse. We warned it would become a quagmire that would fail to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program, ignite a regional conflict that could threaten the global economy, further strengthen the Iranian regime’s hold on power and cost thousands of lives — including American servicemembers. We were right.” (06/15/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-iran-war-disaster
----
42) The Long Tradition of Wealth-Extracting Socialists
Source: The Daily Economy
by Emmanuel Rincon
“For centuries, some of the most prominent advocates of socialism have spent their lives condemning the accumulation of wealth while privately amassing fortunes of their own. In many cases, they have even used revolutionary rhetoric as a vehicle to gain power and extract wealth from productive sectors of society. From Karl Marx to Vladimir Lenin, from Fidel Castro to Hugo Chávez, many of these figures denounced private wealth and entrepreneurship, despite the fact that few, if any, lived according to the austere principles they publicly promoted. Instead, many enjoyed lives marked by privilege, luxury, and the very economic advantages they claimed to despise. This pattern is not confined to communist regimes. In the United States, self-described socialists have often criticized wealth accumulation — until they themselves became wealthy.” (06/15/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-long-tradition-of-wealth-extracting-socialists/
----
43) Moloch in the Regulatory State
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Thiago VS Coelho
“Civilization does not usually fail because every participant is stupid, vicious, or indifferent. It fails because people are placed inside systems where the locally-prudent action sustains a globally-absurd result. ‘Moloch’ is Eliezer Yudkowsky’s name for these impersonal traps: arrangements in which nearly everyone would prefer a better world, but no individual can safely move there alone. The broad failures fall into three recurring types. First, the decisionmaker is not the beneficiary. A regulator, hospital administrator, licensing board, journal editor, or politician makes a rule whose costs are borne mainly by others. Second, there is asymmetric information. Someone knows the relevant fact, but cannot credibly transmit it through the institutional fog. Third, society is stuck in an inferior equilibrium: everyone responds rationally to the incentives in front of him, while the system as a whole remains inferior to another possible arrangement.” (06/15/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/moloch-regulatory-state
----
44) Jailed by an Algorithm: The Surveillance State Fails
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey
“Flawed AI puts innocent Floridians behind bars. Police trade due diligence for bad algorithms. We must hold the state accountable.” (06/14/26)
https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/jailed-by-an-algorithm-the-surveillance
----
45) How SPLC drives demonization of its conservative foes
Source: New York Post
by Tyler O’Neil
“If you touch one of the Democrats’ sacred cow nonprofits, they’ll start whining about how you’re attacking ‘civil society.’ But what if the sacred cow Democrats want to defend is actually a violent bull — one of the worst forces undermining civil society in America today? Democrats and their allies portray criticism of the Southern Poverty Law Center as a threat to civil society. That’s rather ironic. You see, the SPLC is an engine of the very fear and suspicion that are driving Americans apart. Conservatives increasingly fear that our opponents don’t just disagree, but actively despise us. The SPLC doesn’t just publish papers explaining why it thinks conservatives are wrong. No, this organization — which gained its reputation by suing the Ku Klux Klan into bankruptcy — puts its political opponents on a ‘hate map’ alongside Klan chapters, a map the SPLC says reveals the ‘infrastructure upholding white supremacy.'” (06/14/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/06/14/opinion/southern-poverty-law-center-doesnt-just-go-against-the-bad-guys/
----
46) Protests Are Not Emotional Support Groups
Source: Persuasion
by Dan Storyev & Maria Kuznetsova
“If Americans want to actually enact change, they seriously need to re-think their strategy. Take it from us: we both grew up in Putin’s Russia and saw well-intentioned protests fail to stop an aspiring despot. We know that authoritarians are typically unwilling to respond to the kind of protest No Kings exemplifies: loud, raucous, and ultimately harmless. These ‘festival protests,’ as we call them, are convenient for their participants. They are fun and usually do not require much sacrifice or risk. They also look good on TV and TikTok feeds. But they often achieve next to nothing. Why are so many people convinced they work?” (06/14/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/protests-are-not-emotional-support
-----
47) John Dickinson and the Case Against Independence
Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Rob Natelson
“[O]n July 1, convinced that while Independence might one day be necessary, it was as yet premature, Dickinson rose to make his case against the pending declaration. Only by understanding the risks and terrors Dickinson predicted can we fully appreciate the courage of those who were determined to face them. Let us, as President Richard Nixon used to say, make one thing perfectly clear: Dickinson was no coward. He was brave and a patriot. When Britain adopted the Townshend Duties in 1767, it was Dickinson who inspired the opposition. It was Dickinson who, again and again, had served as penman and point man for the colonial resistance. Yet Dickinson also loved the mother country.” (06/14/26)
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2026/06/14/john-dickinson-and-the-case-against-independence/
----
48) Movies for Queers Who Like Revolution
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“If it’s June, then it must be Pride and straight people everywhere are celebrating how far you’ve come. You know, out of the closets and onto MTV. But what if you don’t particularly feel like celebrating?” (06/14/26)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2026/06/movies-for-queers-who-like-revolution.html
----
49) Graham Platner Prepares to Take On Susan Collins
Source: The American Prospect
by Gabrielle Gurley
“Can the Graham Platner whirlwind sweep Susan Collins out of one of Maine’s Senate seats? Scandalous Reddit posts, tattoos, sexting, rapid-fire accusations, and denials didn’t make it any easier for Gov. Janet Mills to mount a serious challenge against the harbormaster of a small Maine town north of Acadia National Park. Platner soundly defeated the two-term governor who steered the state safely out of the COVID-19 pandemic and stood up to President Trump. Mills’s name was still on the ballot after she pulled out of the Senate primary race on the last day of April. Yet she didn’t get even a sympathy bump from voters in what turned out to be a contest of Platner against Platner: the champion of the aggrieved working class vs. the man who lived online too much.” (06/15/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/06/15/graham-platner-susan-collins-maine-senate/
----
50) Gordon Wood, the Bard of the American Revolution
Source: The American Conservative
by Nicholas Mosvick
“he preeminent historian of the American Founding, Gordon Wood, died last week as the result of a traffic accident. Wood, a long-time professor at Brown University, had a profound and prolific effect upon the historiography of the American Revolution and the Founding in an academic career spanning six decades. Significantly, he was the first leading historian to emphasize the importance of republican thought and principles, both classical and modern, to 18th-century America, a tradition that later gave way to the totalizing force of equality and democratization.” (06/14/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/gordon-wood-the-bard-of-the-american-revolution/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 06/15/26
Source: Reason
"Bernie Sanders Is Wrong About Trillionaires." (06/15/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/06/15/bernie-sanders-is-wrong-about-trillionaires/
----
52) LPALive, episode 75
Source: LP Alliance
“Get a courtside view as the GOP challenges Iowa Libertarian contenders in a desperate attempt to hold on to their House majority in the Hawkeye State!” (06/15/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB398fIFhhs
----
53) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 06/15/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“‘Peace Deal’ With Iran And Cage Match At White House: What A Time To Be Alive!” (06/15/26)
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1qKDzzAgaVoJV
----
54) Rising, 06/15/26
Source: The Hill
“Trump family profiting from White House UFC fight? Lindsey Granger.” (06/15/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/5921342-rising-june-15-2026/
----
55) EconTalk, 06/15/26
Source: EconTalk
“The Case for Sunshine (with Rowan Jacobsen).” (06/15/26)
https://www.econtalk.org/the-case-for-sunshine-with-rowan-jacobsen/
----
56) TechTank, season 5, episode 43
Source: Brookings Institution
“How technology can help save democracy.” (06/15/26)
https://shows.acast.com/tech-tank/episodes/how-technology-can-help-save-democracy
----
57) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/14/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Pakistan: US and Iran Reach Agreement, US Airstrike Targets Gang Leader in Venezuela, and More.” (06/14/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSA0s8Zmw2U
----
58) Pink Flame of Liberty, 06/14/26
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Iowa GOP and RFJ Jr attempt to get Iowa Libertarians OFF THE BALLOT.” (06/14/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOuaSYShWRA
-----
59) Eric Fowler on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Scott interviews libertarian activist Eric Fowler about the so-called Flock cameras being put up in cities to illegally surveil Americans. Fowler explains what the cameras are, how they work, what laws they violate and how libertarians in Arizona are fighting back.” (06/14/26)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/6-11-26-eric-fowler-on-the-latest-form-of-illegal-government-surveillance/
----
60) Zooming In, 06/14/26
Source: The UnPopulist
“The Trump Administration’s Anti-Foreigner Animus Is a Betrayal of the World Cup — the Most Cosmopolitan Sport on Earth.” (06/14/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/the-trump-administrations-anti-foreigner
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Trump Signs Preliminary Instrument of Surrender to Iran, but Terms Remain Secret
2) CA: Eight killed in B-52 bomber crash
3) Profit-taking across bitcoin, ether, solana as traders wait on the Iran signing
4) Arbitration tribunal rejects bulk of Ukraine’s Kerch Strait case against Russia
5) UK: Court says regime’s ban on Palestine Action under terror legislation was lawful
6) Ecuador: Prosecutor killed in latest attack on regime officials
7) SCOTUS declines former Trump aide’s lawsuit over surveillance
8) Hungary: Parliament votes for eight-year term limit for prime minister
9) SCOTUS turns away challenge to New York gun company shakedown law
10) BBC investigation: Russian regime was behind arson attacks targeting Starmer
11) Major attack on Arch Linux: Massive malware injection into the AUR
12) NJ: Gang member opens fire at fleeing victim’s van
13) Switzerland: G7 protesters clash with police in Geneva
14) GA: Federal judge who had sex in chambers apologizes to former clerk as impeachment push ramps up
15) US FDA upgrades Alfredo sauce recall to highest risk level over potential salmonella contamination
16) UK: Starmer publicly fantasizes that he can ban kids from social media
17) Fox to buy Roku streaming firm in $22 billion deal
18) FL: Scientists set record after removing four tons of invasive Burmese pythons
19) WA: Legislators fight to stop Trump regime dismantling of $386 million ocean observatory project
20) Stepson of Norway’s crown prince jailed for four years in rape case
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Trump’s Iran Deal Is a Humiliation for Him — and Good News for the World
22) A Requiem for Privacy
23) Tobacco policy should reflect the world as it is
24) When Money Has an Off Switch, So Does Your Freedom
25) Congress’s Failure is Liberty’s Gain
26) The Art of the Non-Deal
27) Trump is stealing Americans’ faith in elections
28) Taxing Away Success
29) The World’s First Trillionaire Is Not Your Friend
30) What the Trillionaire Can’t Do
31) Tulsi Gabbard Makes a Grand Exit
32) Congress Should Be in No Rush To Renew FISA’s Section 702 Surveillance Powers
33) Embrace the US-Iran MOU, But Understand It’s Only a First Step
34) The Kratom Civil War Is Heating Up, and MAHA Has Picked a Side
35) The Limits of Democracy
36) SpaceX Monetizes the Future
37) Elon Musk vs. the Democrats: Outcomes vs. Process
38) Trump keeps baiting Democrats into fights that don’t matter
39) The Taiwan Lobby moves to put a full court press on Trump
40) The Bipartisan Roots of Trump’s War in Latin America
41) Trump’s Iran War Played Out Exactly as Anti-War Critics Warned It Would
42) The Long Tradition of Wealth-Extracting Socialists
43) Moloch in the Regulatory State
44) Jailed by an Algorithm: The Surveillance State Fails
45) How SPLC drives demonization of its conservative foes
46) Protests Are Not Emotional Support Groups
47) John Dickinson and the Case Against Independence
48) Movies for Queers Who Like Revolution
49) Graham Platner Prepares to Take On Susan Collins
50) Gordon Wood, the Bard of the American Revolution
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 06/15/26
52) LPALive, episode 75
53) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 06/15/26
54) Rising, 06/15/26
55) EconTalk, 06/15/26
56) TechTank, season 5, episode 43
57) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/14/26
58) Pink Flame of Liberty, 06/14/26
59) Eric Fowler on The Scott Horton Show
60) Zooming In, 06/14/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Trump Signs Preliminary Instrument of Surrender to Iran, but Terms Remain Secret
Source: New York Times
“The United States and Iran have signed a framework agreement ending their monthslong war, but neither side had published the deal’s full text, and on Monday American and Iranian officials continued to make conflicting statements about its terms. The agreement’s immediate scope was focused primarily on ending military attacks and allowing traffic to resume through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s vital shipping lanes. American and Iranian officials acknowledged that they had put off discussions of their most serious disagreements until a later round of talks. The agreement did not appear to fulfill the objectives President Trump promised at the start of the conflict in February: destroying Iran’s military capabilities, abolishing its nuclear ambitions and toppling its theocratic leadership.” (06/15/26)
https://archive.is/6MWdH
-----
2) CA: Eight killed in B-52 bomber crash
Source: Sky News [UK]
“Eight people have been killed after a United States Air Force bomber crashed shortly after taking off from an American base, officials have said. The B-52 Stratofortress came down shortly after taking off from the Edwards Air Force Base in California just after 11.20am local time on Monday (7.20pm UK time). The base said in a statement that the bomber had been carrying eight people during a ‘routine test mission’ when it crashed. … The B-52 Stratofortress, which entered service in 1955, is a long-range bomber designed to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons.” (06/16/26)
https://news.sky.com/story/us-b-52-bomber-crashes-shortly-after-take-off-from-base-in-california-13554459
-----
3) Profit-taking across bitcoin, ether, solana as traders wait on the Iran signing
Source: CoinDesk
“Bitcoin briefly traded above $67,000 late Monday before slipping back under $66,000 in a move that is indicative of how cautiously crypto is treating the Iran peace deal that has rallied other markets. The token changed hands at $65,845 on Tuesday, up 0.3% over 24 hours and 4.8% on the week, per CoinDesk data. It touched a 24-hour high of $67,217 before fading. Ether held up better, rising 2.8% on the day to $1,764 and 5.8% on the week. Solana gained 3.2% to $73, XRP added 3.2% to $1.22 and Hyperliquid’s HYPE led the majors again, up 6.3% to $69.” (06/16/26)
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/06/16/profit-taking-across-bitcoin-ether-solana-as-traders-wait-on-the-iran-signing
-----
4) Arbitration tribunal rejects bulk of Ukraine’s Kerch Strait case against Russia
Source: Reuters
“An international court found that Russia flouted some sea laws during the construction of the Kerch Strait bridge between mainland Russia and annexed Crimea, but dismissed Ukraine’s claims that Moscow was unlawfully trying to keep the strait under its sole control, a ruling published on Monday showed. The case at the Hague-based intergovernmental Permanent Court of Arbitration was filed in 2016 after Moscow began building the 19-km (12-mile) Crimea Bridge link to the peninsula. In a ruling dated April 22 but only announced on Monday, as per the arbitration court’s procedures, the court dismissed the majority of Kyiv’s claims about Russia’s control over the strait on procedural grounds.” (06/15/26)
https://www.reuters.com/world/arbitration-tribunal-rejects-bulk-ukraines-kerch-strait-case-against-russia-2026-06-15/
-----
5) UK: Court says regime’s ban on Palestine Action under terror legislation was lawful
Source: SFGate
“The British government acted lawfully when it banned the protest group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization, the Court of Appeal in London ruled on Monday. Chief Justice Sue Carr said the group went far beyond staging non-violent demonstrations to launch destructive attacks on defense companies, banks, and a military base. ‘It is not, as claimed, a direct action civil disobedience protest group like the suffragettes, operating transparently in the open,’ Carr said. ‘It is a covert organization which operates with secret cells to avoid the detection and prosecution of those using violence to destroy property and cause injury.’ The ruling overturned a February decision by three senior High Court judges who found that, despite the group promoting its political cause through some crimes, the scale of its activities did not warrant a ban.” (06/15/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/uk-s-ban-on-palestine-action-under-terror-22305417.php
-----
6) Ecuador: Prosecutor killed in latest attack on regime officials
Source: United Press International
“Ecuador’s Attorney General’s Office said a new attack targeting justice officials left a prosecutor dead in the port city of Manta. Veteran criminal prosecutor Alexandra Bravo and her sister, Olinda Bravo, were shot and killed in broad daylight Sunday, raising renewed concerns about the security risks faced by judges and prosecutors in a country operating under a state-declared ‘internal armed conflict’ against powerful drug trafficking organizations. Authorities said the attack occurred as the sisters were leaving a restaurant and walking toward their parked vehicle. A gunman approached them and fired multiple shots at close range. Both women died at the scene, while the attacker escaped.” (06/15/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/06/15/latam-ecuador-prosecutor-lkilled/5591781540127/
----
7) SCOTUS declines former Trump aide’s lawsuit over surveillance
Source: CBS News
“The Supreme Court on Monday turned away ex-Trump campaign aide Carter Page’s attempt to revive a lawsuit against former FBI Director James Comey and other senior FBI officials over surveillance warrants obtained by the bureau during its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. The Supreme Court’s denial of the case came after the Trump administration said in April it had reached a $1.25 million settlement with Page. He had appealed a lower court decision dismissing his lawsuit against the Justice Department, FBI and eight named individuals, including Comey. The Justice Department’s settlement involved only Page’s claims against the U.S. government, not the individual FBI officials.” (06/15/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-trump-campaign-aide-carter-page-jim-comey/
----
8) Hungary: Parliament votes for eight-year term limit for prime minister
Source: Politico
“Hungarian lawmakers on Monday passed a constitutional amendment that would ban Viktor Orbán from returning to power. The amendment, approved by 135 votes in favor and 50 against, would limit prime ministers to just eight years in office if it becomes law. The amendment is written to apply retroactively, meaning that Viktor Orbán could not return as Hungary’s prime minister. Orbán served as prime minister for a total of 20 years. … The amendment will now head to the desk of Tamás Sulyok, the Fidesz-appointed president of Hungary. Magyar is currently trying to oust Sulyok and other Orbán-appointed officials as he cleans house in the new government. Sulyok has refused Magyar’s request to resign voluntarily. Should Sulyok return the legislation to lawmakers, they could overrule his concerns in a second vote.” (06/15/26)
https://archive.is/U8Kts
----
9) SCOTUS turns away challenge to New York gun company shakedown law
Source: NBC News
“The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a challenge to a New York law that sets out a legal pathway to hold gunmakers accountable for harm caused by their weapons [sic]. The court’s decision not to intervene means the 2021 law remains in effect. It allows for various legal claims against gun manufacturers under state law, including alleged conduct that endangers the public health [sic] of New Yorkers. The law, which was immediately challenged in court after being enacted, was written specifically to circumvent a 2005 federal law called the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act that created a liability shield for gunmakers. It could still face future legal challenges.” (06/15/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-turns-away-challenge-new-york-firearms-liability-law-rcna349068
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10) BBC investigation: Russian regime was behind arson attacks targeting Starmer
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Even after he set fire to Sir Keir Starmer’s house, Roman Lavrynovych – convicted on Monday of conspiring to commit arson – seemed to know as much about the prime minister as a bullet knows about its target. His anonymous handler, known by the initials EL, gave a clue in a message: ‘Look, you attacked the home of a very high-ranking person in Britain. I’ll send you money, you need to leave the city.’ It was too late: Lavrynovych was arrested within hours. … Our investigation has found the arson attack was just one part of an extensive campaign of sabotage, provocation and lies leading all the way to the Russian state. … Russian operatives ran their sabotage and provocation campaign remotely through social media and the messaging app Telegram, we found, creating fake online far-right and Muslim groups, which were used to organise acts of vandalism in the UK and stir up division and fear.” (06/15/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8r2l352z2do
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11) Major attack on Arch Linux: Massive malware injection into the AUR
Source: Research Snipers
“Arch Linux continues to struggle with a large-scale malware wave in its user repository AUR (Arch User Repository). This is currently literally flooded with malware. The attack continues and becomes more sophisticated. After the developers behind the Linux distribution initially assumed that they had brought the security incident under control with more than 1,500 affected packages in which malicious code was integrated, further manipulated code submissions have now been discovered. … The incident once again raises questions about the security of the AUR. Unlike the official Arch Linux package sources, the repository is maintained by users who can provide their own software packages there. Given the repeated findings, some observers are calling for additional protective measures or even a temporary shutdown of the service until more effective security controls can be put in place.” (06/15/26)
https://researchsnipers.com/major-attack-on-arch-linux-massive-malware-injection-into-the-aur/
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12) NJ: Gang member opens fire at fleeing victim’s van
Source: New York Post
“An ICE agent in New Jersey was struck by a van driven by a fleeing suspect and opened fire on the vehicle, striking it several times, authorities said. The incident happened Monday morning around 9:30 a.m. in Stafford Township, about 60 miles east of Philadelphia as the agency was trying to capture a suspect. The officer’s condition was not immediately known, but sources told NBC Philadelphia that he is expected to recover.” [editor’s note: Perhaps after recovering, he or she will give up the thug life and get an honest job – TLK] (06/15/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/06/15/us-news/ice-agent-in-nj-hit-by-fleeing-suspect-in-van-opens-fire/
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13) Switzerland: G7 protesters clash with police in Geneva
Source: Deutsche Welle [German state media]
“Clashes broke out between protesters and police near the United Nations (UN) building in Geneva on Sunday on the eve of the G7 summit in the nearby French resort town of Evian. Demonstrators threw bottles, stones and firecrackers at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons. Witnesses cited by the AFP and Reuters news agencies said protesters targeted the offices of the UN’s telecommunication building and threw flares as police tried to clear them from the site.” (06/15/26)
https://www.dw.com/en/police-fire-tear-gas-at-anti-g7-protesters-in-geneva/a-77548464
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14) GA: Federal judge who had sex in chambers apologizes to former clerk as impeachment push ramps up
Source: Fox News
“A federal judge in Georgia has apologized to a former law clerk for ‘harmful, offensive, and unprofessional behavior’ amid allegations she had engaged in sexual activity with a high-ranking uniformed police officer in her office during working hours and within earshot of staff. The apology comes as two House Republicans from Georgia have filed articles of impeachment for U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross. ‘You deserved better than to have your experience marred by my own offensive conflict,’ Ross, who serves in the Northern District of Georgia, wrote in a letter last week, adding that her ‘actions were patently wrong, and there is no excuse’, and her previous letter to the clerk was ‘entirely deficient, as I did not take full accountability for my actions, and I failed to give you the apology that you deserve.'” (06/15/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/federal-judge-sex-chambers-apologizes-former-clerk-impeachment-push-ramps
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15) US FDA upgrades Alfredo sauce recall to highest risk level over potential salmonella contamination
Source: ABC News
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has elevated a recall of Alfredo sauce distributed in 41 states to its most serious classification after they say a supplier flagged an ingredient for possible Salmonella contamination. According to the FDA notice, Tennessee-based The Coffee Connexion Co. Inc. voluntarily recalled the product on May 6 because it contains a dry milk powder ingredient that was recalled by the supplier due to potential Salmonella contamination.” (06/14/26)
https://abcnews.com/GMA/Food/fda-upgrades-alfredo-sauce-recall-highest-risk-level/story?id=133869068
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16) UK: Starmer publicly fantasizes that he can ban kids from social media
Source: Associated Press
“Britain will ban under-16s from using a range of social media apps, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday, calling it ‘a big moment for our country.’ Starmer told a news conference that he will fight back if technology companies resist the move, intended to [grandstand on the fantasy of ‘protecting’] children from harmful content and excessive screen time. He said he is ‘not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children.’ The move makes the U.K. part of growing global movement to tighten online safety for children. Australia, Canada, Brazil and Indonesia have introduced legislation or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children’s access to social media. France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are among others studying or developing similar approaches.” (06/15/26)
https://apnews.com/article/uk-teen-social-media-ban-starmer-55de428636b586ff5553b604783f6fb3
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17) Fox to buy Roku streaming firm in $22 billion deal
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Media giant Fox is buying streaming firm Roku in a deal the companies say will create the third largest player in US TV by share of viewing. Fox’s move is being seen as a bet that combining streaming with its news and sport offering will leave it in a strong position as TV audiences move online. The offer of $160 per share, made up of cash and stock, values Roku at $22bn (£16bn). ‘This is a defining moment for Fox, and a natural extension of the deliberate and focused strategy we have been executing for nearly a decade,’ said Fox chief executive Lachlan Murdoch. ‘In 2019, we reoriented the company around live news and sports. In 2020, we acquired Tubi and under our stewardship it has become one of the most successful businesses in streaming.'” [editor’s note: As a long-time Roku device owner/subscriber, I hope Fox doesn’t ruin the service – TLK] (06/15/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cql1yew3vezo
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18) FL: Scientists set record after removing four tons of invasive Burmese pythons
Source: Seattle Times
“Four tons of invasive Burmese pythons were removed from South Florida ecosystems during the latest breeding season, setting a record for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. The achievement marks a new milestone in the fight against the giant snakes, which are considered one of the greatest threats to the Everglades ecosystem because of their ability to prey on mammals, birds and other native wildlife. The Conservancy said it removed more python biomass this season than at any point since launching its research and removal program in 2013. … the team captured 177 invasive Burmese pythons with a combined weight of 8,080 pounds.” (06/14/26)
https://archive.is/qM1VJ
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19) WA: Legislators fight to stop Trump regime dismantling of $386 million ocean observatory project
Source: SFGate
“A group of Democratic senators and one Republican, as well as two Democratic House committees, sent letters Monday to the National Science Foundation asking it to reverse course on its plan to dismantle a sprawling ocean monitoring network, with House lawmakers going further and accusing the agency of acting illegally. The Ocean Observatories Initiative is a network of more than 900 ocean sensors built at a cost of $386 million. Over the last decade it has tracked ocean circulation, marine ecosystems, climate change and extreme weather, producing data freely available to the public and informing more than 500 scientific publications. The project was slated to run another 15 to 20 years. The National Science Foundation had directed the removal of most of the system’s instruments from waters off Oregon, Washington, Alaska, North Carolina and Greenland by 2027 — a decision scientists said came with no warning and no scientific review.” (06/15/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/lawmakers-fight-to-stop-the-trump-22305520.php
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20) Stepson of Norway’s crown prince jailed for four years in rape case
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“An Oslo district court has sentenced Marius Borg Hoiby, the stepson of Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon, to four years in prison for rape and other crimes. Hoiby, 29, became part of the royal family when his mother, Mette-Marit, married Haakon in 2001. The court convicted Hoiby of two counts of rape as well as domestic violence against his former partner Nora Haukland and narcotics offences. He was acquitted on two separate rape counts with judges finding insufficient proof that the encounters were nonconsensual. One of the rapes he was convicted of took place in the basement of the crown prince’s official Skaugum residence. While denying the rape charges, Hoiby had pleaded guilty to domestic abuse and transporting 3.5kg (7.7lb) of marijuana in 2020.” (06/15/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/15/stepson-of-norways-crown-prince-jailed-for-four-years-in-rape-case
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Trump’s Iran Deal Is a Humiliation for Him — and Good News for the World
Source: The Nation
by Jeet Heer
“The attack on Iran that Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched in February has disrupted the global economy, sending oil prices spiking, while utterly failing in its stated objective of regime change. Voters widely, and accurately, view the war as an unmitigated disaster. … Trump launched a foolish and unnecessary war, which the United States has lost decisively. The war proves the US and Israel have limited ability to restrain Iran. So the only alternative is negotiation.” (06/15/26)
https://archive.is/6BCzA
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22) A Requiem for Privacy
Source: Antiwar.com
by Andrew P Napolitano
“Before 9/11, no one in law enforcement was permitted access to data obtained outside the restraints imposed by the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution. Those restraints prohibit searches and seizures — in the modern parlance, surveillance and data acquisition — without a search warrant issued by a judge based on probable cause of crime, sworn to under oath. And the warrant itself must specifically describe the places to be searched and the persons or things to be seized. Since 9/11, the wall between surveillance and law enforcement has collapsed even though the feds still maintain that the Fourth Amendment only regulates law enforcement and not surveillance. This wild proposition is defied by the plain language of the amendment, which protects all persons from all government, and by the history of the colonists dealing with British government agents executing general warrants issued by a secret court in London.” (06/15/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2026/06/14/a-requiem-for-privacy
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23) Tobacco policy should reflect the world as it is
Source: Bluegrass Institute
by Caleb O Brown & Jeffrey A Singer
“If reports are correct that Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary resigned under pressure from the White House to approve flavored nicotine vaping products, the episode says a great deal about the state of American tobacco policy. Cigarettes remain legal, ubiquitous, and extraordinarily deadly. Yet smoke-free alternatives that may help adults move away from combustible tobacco continue to trigger political panic out of proportion to the actual public health trade-offs involved. There is something deeply unserious about how Washington talks about nicotine. Cigarettes, the most dangerous products in the category, remain widely available. Smoke-free alternatives, however, are often treated as if their very existence is beyond the pale.” (06/15/26)
https://www.bluegrassinstitute.org/tobacco-world-as-it-is/
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24) When Money Has an Off Switch, So Does Your Freedom
Source: Cato Institute
by Norbert J Michel
“True liberty cannot exist without economic and financial autonomy. Every individual, regardless of their background, must have the right to protect their wealth. They must have the right to access open markets by transacting freely, without the shadow of state corporatism or financial surveillance. Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) are a direct threat to these rights. They are money that can be programmed by the government. They can be turned off completely or just for spending on items the state disapproves of. They are a surveillance-punishment system dressed in the language of financial innovation.” (06/15/26)
https://www.cato.org/blog/when-money-has-switch-so-does-freedom
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25) Congress’s Failure is Liberty’s Gain
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
by Ron Paul
“The only way to protect the American people’s liberty is to dismantle the surveillance state and stop trading real liberty for phantom security. True security comes from replacing militarism and authoritarianism with liberty and peace.” (06/15/26)
http://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/congresss-failure-is-libertys-gain
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26) The Art of the Non-Deal
Source: Persuasion
by Francis Fukuyama
“So Donald Trump, on his 80th birthday, announced a deal in which there would be a 60-day ceasefire. Precise details have not yet been officially published. But, according to reports, they apparently include a cessation of attacks in Lebanon, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz … and lifting the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports. He touted this as a key win, in the process praising China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin for helping secure it. This ‘deal’ was nothing of the sort. If the reports are accurate, it instead represented a total U.S. capitulation to Iran. It basically set the clock back to February, when the Strait was open and the United States and Israel had not yet started bombing the Islamic Republic. It merely solved a problem that Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had themselves created by launching the war in the first place.” (06/15/25)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-art-of-the-non-deal
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27) Trump is stealing Americans’ faith in elections
Source: Seattle Times
by Jackie Calmes
“Trump’s Big Lie about rigged elections and Democrats’ supposed cheating — California being his latest target — is by now so familiar that many of us are all but inured to it, and have been for a long time. That’s understandable, and arguably good for our mental health, but collectively dangerous for the nation. The majority of Republican voters accept the lie as truth. What better time than the summer of the nation’s 250th anniversary of independence to reflect on how Trump’s years of lying have corroded the citizenry’s essential belief in the integrity of elections? Attention must be paid, especially ahead of midterm elections in November.” (06/15/26)
https://archive.is/zetXd
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28) Taxing Away Success
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Mark Moses
“We are witnessing a troubling migration — a flight of capital and talent from states that have adopted increasingly aggressive tax policies. Elon Musk moved Tesla and X from California to Texas; Palantir relocated to Colorado. High-profile individuals and corporations are pulling up stakes and relocating to states with more favorable tax policies. A casual observer might interpret such migrations as a strategic response to changing cost structures. But that framing misses the deeper issue. These departures are not just about lowering costs; they reflect an effort to exit a system that has decidedly turned against them.” (06/15/26)
https://fee.org/articles/taxing-away-success/
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29) The World’s First Trillionaire Is Not Your Friend
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“It’s so pathetic watching Elon Musk’s groveling bootlickers fall all over themselves on social media to defend their favorite oligarch from criticism as he becomes the world’s first trillionaire. They’re like ‘Don’t be mean to the trillionaire, just become a trillionaire yourself! All you need is luck, connections, wealthy parents, the ruthlessness to step on anyone who gets in your way, and a willingness to cooperate with murderous imperial institutions like the Pentagon and the CIA!’ Elon Musk is a military-industrial complex plutocrat who is balls deep in the US intelligence cartel and recently facilitated the US-Israeli attempted regime change operation in Iran. You have infinitely more in common with the average person in Iran, Cuba, Lebanon or Palestine than you have with the world’s first trillionaire.” (06/14/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/06/14/the-worlds-first-trillionaire-is-not-your-friend-and-other-notes/
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30) What the Trillionaire Can’t Do
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Mr. Musk’s wealth is in the company that just took on new investors, driving up his shares. If he started selling his shares, the value of the stock would plummet before he found enough buyers. It is Mr. Musk’s managerial genius and technological vision that is responsible for the company’s success, so any step back from control — even by relinquishing stock — would almost certainly spell disaster. And if he vanished off the face of the Earth, our global civilization would feel it. What Elon Musk’s envious haters do not seem to understand is that Musk succeeds by developing products that people, businesses, and governments are willing to pay big bucks for.” (06/15/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/06/15/what-the-trillionaire-cant-do/
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31) Tulsi Gabbard Makes a Grand Exit
Source: Town Hall
by Jeff Crouere
“The Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard, will be officially leaving her post on June 19. She is resigning to care for her husband, who is battling a rare form of bone cancer. Gabbard has enjoyed a remarkably successful tenure as DNI and is using her final days in office to unleash several bombshell reports. On Friday, Gabbard rescinded two intelligence assessments from the administration of President Joe Biden regarding the mysterious set of ailments known as ‘Havana Syndrome,’ which has sickened our spies and diplomats on missions throughout the world. … the Biden administration downplayed the reports and dismissed the possibility that the ailments were caused by a foreign adversary. Gabbard blasted these findings for excluding key information, suppressing ‘alternative analysis,’ and using an ‘ethically flawed medical study.'” (06/15/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/jeffcrouere/2026/06/15/tulsi-gabbard-makes-a-grand-exit-n2677752
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32) Congress Should Be in No Rush To Renew FISA’s Section 702 Surveillance Powers
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“It’s long past time to open federal surveillance powers to scrutiny and reform.” (06/15/26)
https://reason.com/2026/06/15/congress-should-be-in-no-rush-to-renew-fisas-section-702-surveillance-powers/
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33) Embrace the US-Iran MOU, But Understand It’s Only a First Step
Source: Informed Comment
by Juan Cole
“Early Monday morning Islamabad time, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that ‘Following intensive talks, we are pleased to announce that the Peace Deal between the United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran has been REACHED. Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon. The official signing ceremony will be on Friday, 19 June in Switzerland.’ Pakistan and Qatar had been the lead negotiators, though Qatar’s negotiating team appears to have sealed the deal Sunday with a marathon 14-hour session. The White House concurred. US President Donald Trump posted that the deal with Iran is ‘complete’ and that he would immediately lift the US blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and is announcing its ‘toll-free’ opening. ‘Let the oil flow’, he said.” (06/15/26)
https://www.juancole.com/2026/06/iran-agreement-talking.html
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34) The Kratom Civil War Is Heating Up, and MAHA Has Picked a Side
Source: Wired
by Mattha Busby
“A decade ago, kratom advocates fought a surprisingly successful campaign against a proposed Drug Enforcement Administration ban that claimed the obscure Southeast Asian plant posed ‘an imminent hazard to public safety.’ They won bipartisan allies from Bernie Sanders to Rand Paul, and helped create a billion-dollar industry out of kratom, which has pain-relieving effects they said could help fight the opioid epidemic as a far safer, natural alternative to pills. Now, many of those same pro-kratom activists are calling for a ban on products containing concentrates of one of kratom’s active components: 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, an ultra-potent extract with opioid-like effects. And it’s causing major friction amongst consumers, sellers, and advocates of both substances.” (06/15/26)
https://archive.is/PnMxR
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35) The Limits of Democracy
Source: Law & Liberty
by James Huffman
“More democracy will not solve America’s political woes. We must revitalize the counter-majoritarian elements of the Constitution.” (06/15/26)
https://lawliberty.org/the-limits-of-democracy/
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36) SpaceX Monetizes the Future
Source: Gideon’s Substack
by Noah Millman
“Buying SpaceX shares was never something I was likely to do. I understand the perspectives of the enthusiastic, the skeptical and the outraged, but I recognize that my inclination toward the skeptical camp is substantially personality-driven. I’m just congenitally skeptical. But I think one thing all three camps may not be acknowledging as fully as they should is the degree to which pricing a company like SpaceX is genuinely extremely difficult because to such a considerable degree what drives its value is a portfolio of real business options, which are inherently difficult to value. That doesn’t usually matter because real business options are usually only marginal factors in valuing a large company like SpaceX. But we’ve entered a world where there are real business options of plausibly extraordinary value, and that world is just genuinely very weird.” (06/15/26)
https://gideons.substack.com/p/spacex-monetizes-the-future
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37) Elon Musk vs. the Democrats: Outcomes vs. Process
Source: American Greatness
by Stephen Soukup
“Years ago, when my oldest son was a Boy Scout, he was asked to write a report/make a presentation on a modern American ‘hero.’ He chose Elon Musk, and I, of course, rolled my eyes so hard they nearly popped out of my head. I knew Musk was a successful businessman, but I also knew that he was both an advocate for and a seasoned manipulator of Big Government. Tesla, for example, received a $465 million Department of Energy loan in 2010 under the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program, a Big Government scheme to encourage private companies to advance Big Government priorities (namely, fighting Climate Change by reducing carbon emissions). Likewise, Tesla was, at least at the time, commercially viable only because of the more than $1 billion ($7,500/vehicle) in federal EV tax credits claimed by its buyers.” (06/15/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/06/15/elon-musk-vs-the-democrats-outcomes-vs-process/
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38) Trump keeps baiting Democrats into fights that don’t matter
Source: USA Today
by Dace Potas
“Democrats have a nasty habit of criticizing President Donald Trump for the wrong reasons. They latch onto the most visceral thing he has done lately and let it crowd out more legitimate criticisms. The latest example is the renovation of the National Mall’s Reflecting Pool. Crews painted the bottom a deep blue, which Trump claimed would improve reflectivity – and by most accounts, it has. His opponents say otherwise. California Gov. Gavin Newsom insisted the project was a mess, the Democratic Party maintained it was ineffective, and the media sought out historians who spoke against the project. Trump is often difficult to attack precisely because there is so much noise. Democrats reach for the most trivial targets, and in doing so, the more important points can get lost. They should spend less time on the nonsense and more on what actually matters.” (06/15/26)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/06/15/trump-paint-lincoln-memorial-white-house-ballroom-criticism/90506951007/
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39) The Taiwan Lobby moves to put a full court press on Trump
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Joseph Solis-Mullen
“Perhaps fearful of abandonment, or of being treated as a mere ‘bargaining chip’ in negotiations with Beijing, Taiwan has worked diligently to ingratiate itself with President Donald Trump’s inner circle. Just last month, Taipei hired Checkmate Government Relations, a firm whose founder, Ches McDowell, enjoys close ties to Donald Trump Jr. and access to the president himself. The six-month contract is worth roughly $300,000. The move follows Taiwan’s 2025 decision to retain Ballard Partners, another well-connected Washington firm led by prominent Trump fundraiser Brian Ballard. Yet Taiwan’s influence operation is hardly confined to one party.” (06/15/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/taiwan-trump/
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40) The Bipartisan Roots of Trump’s War in Latin America
Source: Libertarian Institute
by José Niño
“When a resurfaced clip of Joe Biden’s 1989 speech went viral in December 2025, it created an awkward moment for Democrats attacking President Donald Trump’s military campaign against alleged drug boats. In that speech, delivered as the official Democratic Party response to President George H.W. Bush’s address on the crack cocaine epidemic, then-Senator Biden declared with unmistakable clarity what he wanted the United States to do. … That 1989 rhetoric now reads like a blueprint for exactly what the Trump administration has done since September 2025, when U.S. forces began destroying vessels that the Pentagon claims are operated by cartel-linked organizations—starting in the Caribbean off Venezuela and expanding to the eastern Pacific in October.” (06/15/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-bipartisan-roots-of-trumps-war-in-latin-america/
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41) Trump’s Iran War Played Out Exactly as Anti-War Critics Warned It Would
Source: Common Dreams
by Matt Duss
“The following is a statement released in response to news of an interim agreement between the US and Iran for a ceasefire in the war started by the US and Israel on February 28, 2026. With news of a ceasefire agreement to end the disastrous and unnecessary US-Israeli war on Iran, the tragic failure of Donald Trump’s Iran policy has now played out exactly as anti-war critics warned it would. Trump said that his war on Iran would be quick, decisive and force the regime to totally capitulate or collapse. We warned it would become a quagmire that would fail to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program, ignite a regional conflict that could threaten the global economy, further strengthen the Iranian regime’s hold on power and cost thousands of lives — including American servicemembers. We were right.” (06/15/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-iran-war-disaster
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42) The Long Tradition of Wealth-Extracting Socialists
Source: The Daily Economy
by Emmanuel Rincon
“For centuries, some of the most prominent advocates of socialism have spent their lives condemning the accumulation of wealth while privately amassing fortunes of their own. In many cases, they have even used revolutionary rhetoric as a vehicle to gain power and extract wealth from productive sectors of society. From Karl Marx to Vladimir Lenin, from Fidel Castro to Hugo Chávez, many of these figures denounced private wealth and entrepreneurship, despite the fact that few, if any, lived according to the austere principles they publicly promoted. Instead, many enjoyed lives marked by privilege, luxury, and the very economic advantages they claimed to despise. This pattern is not confined to communist regimes. In the United States, self-described socialists have often criticized wealth accumulation — until they themselves became wealthy.” (06/15/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-long-tradition-of-wealth-extracting-socialists/
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43) Moloch in the Regulatory State
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Thiago VS Coelho
“Civilization does not usually fail because every participant is stupid, vicious, or indifferent. It fails because people are placed inside systems where the locally-prudent action sustains a globally-absurd result. ‘Moloch’ is Eliezer Yudkowsky’s name for these impersonal traps: arrangements in which nearly everyone would prefer a better world, but no individual can safely move there alone. The broad failures fall into three recurring types. First, the decisionmaker is not the beneficiary. A regulator, hospital administrator, licensing board, journal editor, or politician makes a rule whose costs are borne mainly by others. Second, there is asymmetric information. Someone knows the relevant fact, but cannot credibly transmit it through the institutional fog. Third, society is stuck in an inferior equilibrium: everyone responds rationally to the incentives in front of him, while the system as a whole remains inferior to another possible arrangement.” (06/15/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/moloch-regulatory-state
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44) Jailed by an Algorithm: The Surveillance State Fails
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey
“Flawed AI puts innocent Floridians behind bars. Police trade due diligence for bad algorithms. We must hold the state accountable.” (06/14/26)
https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/jailed-by-an-algorithm-the-surveillance
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45) How SPLC drives demonization of its conservative foes
Source: New York Post
by Tyler O’Neil
“If you touch one of the Democrats’ sacred cow nonprofits, they’ll start whining about how you’re attacking ‘civil society.’ But what if the sacred cow Democrats want to defend is actually a violent bull — one of the worst forces undermining civil society in America today? Democrats and their allies portray criticism of the Southern Poverty Law Center as a threat to civil society. That’s rather ironic. You see, the SPLC is an engine of the very fear and suspicion that are driving Americans apart. Conservatives increasingly fear that our opponents don’t just disagree, but actively despise us. The SPLC doesn’t just publish papers explaining why it thinks conservatives are wrong. No, this organization — which gained its reputation by suing the Ku Klux Klan into bankruptcy — puts its political opponents on a ‘hate map’ alongside Klan chapters, a map the SPLC says reveals the ‘infrastructure upholding white supremacy.'” (06/14/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/06/14/opinion/southern-poverty-law-center-doesnt-just-go-against-the-bad-guys/
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46) Protests Are Not Emotional Support Groups
Source: Persuasion
by Dan Storyev & Maria Kuznetsova
“If Americans want to actually enact change, they seriously need to re-think their strategy. Take it from us: we both grew up in Putin’s Russia and saw well-intentioned protests fail to stop an aspiring despot. We know that authoritarians are typically unwilling to respond to the kind of protest No Kings exemplifies: loud, raucous, and ultimately harmless. These ‘festival protests,’ as we call them, are convenient for their participants. They are fun and usually do not require much sacrifice or risk. They also look good on TV and TikTok feeds. But they often achieve next to nothing. Why are so many people convinced they work?” (06/14/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/protests-are-not-emotional-support
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47) John Dickinson and the Case Against Independence
Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Rob Natelson
“[O]n July 1, convinced that while Independence might one day be necessary, it was as yet premature, Dickinson rose to make his case against the pending declaration. Only by understanding the risks and terrors Dickinson predicted can we fully appreciate the courage of those who were determined to face them. Let us, as President Richard Nixon used to say, make one thing perfectly clear: Dickinson was no coward. He was brave and a patriot. When Britain adopted the Townshend Duties in 1767, it was Dickinson who inspired the opposition. It was Dickinson who, again and again, had served as penman and point man for the colonial resistance. Yet Dickinson also loved the mother country.” (06/14/26)
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2026/06/14/john-dickinson-and-the-case-against-independence/
----
48) Movies for Queers Who Like Revolution
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“If it’s June, then it must be Pride and straight people everywhere are celebrating how far you’ve come. You know, out of the closets and onto MTV. But what if you don’t particularly feel like celebrating?” (06/14/26)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2026/06/movies-for-queers-who-like-revolution.html
----
49) Graham Platner Prepares to Take On Susan Collins
Source: The American Prospect
by Gabrielle Gurley
“Can the Graham Platner whirlwind sweep Susan Collins out of one of Maine’s Senate seats? Scandalous Reddit posts, tattoos, sexting, rapid-fire accusations, and denials didn’t make it any easier for Gov. Janet Mills to mount a serious challenge against the harbormaster of a small Maine town north of Acadia National Park. Platner soundly defeated the two-term governor who steered the state safely out of the COVID-19 pandemic and stood up to President Trump. Mills’s name was still on the ballot after she pulled out of the Senate primary race on the last day of April. Yet she didn’t get even a sympathy bump from voters in what turned out to be a contest of Platner against Platner: the champion of the aggrieved working class vs. the man who lived online too much.” (06/15/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/06/15/graham-platner-susan-collins-maine-senate/
----
50) Gordon Wood, the Bard of the American Revolution
Source: The American Conservative
by Nicholas Mosvick
“he preeminent historian of the American Founding, Gordon Wood, died last week as the result of a traffic accident. Wood, a long-time professor at Brown University, had a profound and prolific effect upon the historiography of the American Revolution and the Founding in an academic career spanning six decades. Significantly, he was the first leading historian to emphasize the importance of republican thought and principles, both classical and modern, to 18th-century America, a tradition that later gave way to the totalizing force of equality and democratization.” (06/14/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/gordon-wood-the-bard-of-the-american-revolution/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 06/15/26
Source: Reason
"Bernie Sanders Is Wrong About Trillionaires." (06/15/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/06/15/bernie-sanders-is-wrong-about-trillionaires/
----
52) LPALive, episode 75
Source: LP Alliance
“Get a courtside view as the GOP challenges Iowa Libertarian contenders in a desperate attempt to hold on to their House majority in the Hawkeye State!” (06/15/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB398fIFhhs
----
53) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 06/15/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“‘Peace Deal’ With Iran And Cage Match At White House: What A Time To Be Alive!” (06/15/26)
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1qKDzzAgaVoJV
----
54) Rising, 06/15/26
Source: The Hill
“Trump family profiting from White House UFC fight? Lindsey Granger.” (06/15/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/5921342-rising-june-15-2026/
----
55) EconTalk, 06/15/26
Source: EconTalk
“The Case for Sunshine (with Rowan Jacobsen).” (06/15/26)
https://www.econtalk.org/the-case-for-sunshine-with-rowan-jacobsen/
----
56) TechTank, season 5, episode 43
Source: Brookings Institution
“How technology can help save democracy.” (06/15/26)
https://shows.acast.com/tech-tank/episodes/how-technology-can-help-save-democracy
----
57) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/14/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Pakistan: US and Iran Reach Agreement, US Airstrike Targets Gang Leader in Venezuela, and More.” (06/14/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSA0s8Zmw2U
----
58) Pink Flame of Liberty, 06/14/26
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Iowa GOP and RFJ Jr attempt to get Iowa Libertarians OFF THE BALLOT.” (06/14/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOuaSYShWRA
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59) Eric Fowler on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Scott interviews libertarian activist Eric Fowler about the so-called Flock cameras being put up in cities to illegally surveil Americans. Fowler explains what the cameras are, how they work, what laws they violate and how libertarians in Arizona are fighting back.” (06/14/26)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/6-11-26-eric-fowler-on-the-latest-form-of-illegal-government-surveillance/
----
60) Zooming In, 06/14/26
Source: The UnPopulist
“The Trump Administration’s Anti-Foreigner Animus Is a Betrayal of the World Cup — the Most Cosmopolitan Sport on Earth.” (06/14/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/the-trump-administrations-anti-foreigner
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