09/25 -- Shutdown theater: White House tells agencies to prepare for mass layoffs; Why the Government Is So Loved by So Many
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Thomas L. Knapp
Sep 25, 2025, 6:19:49 AM (10 days ago) Sep 25
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 09/25/25
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https://liberty-intl.org/
Produced by the staff of Rational Review News Digest
https://news.rationalreview.com/
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Shutdown theater: White House tells agencies to prepare for mass layoffs
2) Russia: Ukrainian drones attack major petrochemical complex
3) TX: Two abductees, shooter dead in attack at ICE gang lair
4) Senile reality TV star demands investigation into minor inconveniences
5) US Treasury announces bailout plan for Argentina’s regime
6) CA: Hoplophobes are literally shaking right now after unloaded BB gun found at middle school, kids arrested
7) Denmark: PM Apologises in Person to Greenland Women Over Forced Contraception
8) Judge scolds Justice Department over public statements in UnitedHealthcare CEO murder case
9) Italy: Regime deploys navy ship to help Gaza aid flotilla targeted in drone attack
10) Federal judge dumps Peter Strzok lawsuit over FBI firing for anti-Trump texts
11) Typhoon Ragasa makes landfall in China after devastating Taiwan and Philippines
12) FBI says it found classified documents in John Bolton’s DC office
13) Malawi: Chakwera concedes election defeat, former leader set for victory
14) Colombia: Petro calls for criminal investigation against Trump over Caribbean murders
15) Huntington’s disease successfully treated for first time
16) Turkey: Regime Jails Comedian, Rapper Over Joke Deemed Offensive to Islam
17) Ford recalls over 115k trucks due to defect that could lead to loss of steering control
18) Ryan Routh found guilty of attempting to assassinate Trump
19) CA: Officials investigate death of ICE gang kidnap victim
20) Khamenei: Iranian Regime Has No Plans for Nuclear Weapon
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Why the Government Is So Loved by So Many
22) Does MTG know she’d be the woman in the national divorce?
23) Trump, Kimmel and the upside of ignoring big-government coercion
24) Best to reject politics in all forms
25) Nero at the United Nations
26) After migrant influx, Germany seeks balance
27) Seven Minutes Outside: The Collapse of Childhood Play
28) In (Sort of) Defense of (Something Like) Property Taxes
29) More Attacks on the Gaza Aid Flotilla & Other Notes From The Edge of the Narrative Matrix
30) Imperial Ambitions and a Militaristic Constitution
31) Are Trump and Rubio trying a version of trust but verify with Mexico?
32) An Opportunistic Attack on the Right to Live Free
33) Dissent for a Democratic Revival
34) Hat Havoc in the Big Apple
35) Fixing Academia: Marketing Its Real Purpose
36) Is Trump Getting Nervous About His Drug-War Killings?
37) Poll shows Democrats STILL unpopular with voters on three major issues
38) Rage Is Now the Machine
39) How a little-known embassy aide hijacked US Israel policy
40) What Does Iran Have to Do?
41) Big Banks Behaving Badly
42) It’s not the state’s job to manage kids’ screentime
43) The Problem With Arguing ‘They Did It to Us First’
44) Charter schools on trial: Will Kentucky parents finally get a choice?
45) Pritzker and Johnson: The New “Normal?”
46) Knowledge & Ignorance In The 21st Century
47) What is the relationship between domination and exploitation?
48) Why Is the American Experiment in Trouble? Simple: A Demagogue Has Ignited the “Dark Passions” of the People
49) Could a “Maximum Wage” Combat Billionaire Power?
50) Why the Charlie Kirk Memorial Might Spell the End of Trump and MAGA
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Interview: Dan Krauss
52) The Political Orphanage, 09/24/25
53) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 09/24/25
54) SolutionsWatch, 09/24/25
55) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 09/24/25
56) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 09/24/25
57) Politics Politics Politics, 09/23/25
58) Fountainhead Forum, episode 363
59) System Update, episode 520
60) The Climate Realism Show, episode 174
61) Bulwark Takes, 09/23/25
62) Free Speech Unmuted, 09/23/25
63) Underthrow Podcast, 09/23/25
64) Nonzero, 09/23/25
65) Trump Watch, 09/23/25
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Shutdown theater: White House tells agencies to prepare for mass layoffs
Source: CBS News
“The White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sent a memo to federal agencies Wednesday night telling them to prepare layoff plans if there is a government shutdown [sic], increasing the stakes ahead of Congress'[s] Tuesday deadline to pass a government funding bill. … The memo, obtained by CBS News, tells agencies to consider reduction-in-force notices — a federal term for layoffs — for employees in programs, projects or activities that have discretionary funding that stops on Oct. 1 or that don’t have any alternative sources of funding. It also goes further and says that employees should get RIF notices if they’re in programs or projects ‘not consistent with the President’s priorities.’ The RIF notices would be in addition to any furlough notices directing federal workers to stay home from work without pay if there is a shutdown, the memo states.” (09/24/25)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-house-trump-layoffs-omb-government-shutdown/
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2) Russia: Ukrainian drones attack major petrochemical complex
Source: Reuters
“The Salavat petrochemical complex, one of Russia’s largest which is located in Bashkortostan region, was attacked by Ukrainian drones, the local governor said on Wednesday via his channel on Telegram, the second such attack in less than a week. … Ukraine has intensified drone attacks on Russia’s vast oil and gas infrastructure in the past weeks, targeting refineries and export-bound pipelines, as peace talks with Moscow have stalled. Russia is seeing shortages of certain fuel grades as the attacks have reduced refinery runs, and as high borrowing costs mean private filling stations cannot afford to stockpile fuel, according to traders and retailers.” (09/24/25)
https://archive.is/IWI9T
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3) TX: Two abductees, shooter dead in attack at ICE gang lair
Source: USA Today
“A shooter opened fire on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas on Wednesday, killing one [abductee] and critically wounding two others in what authorities are investigating as an ‘act of targeted violence.’ Officials say the shooter fired ‘indiscriminately’ from a nearby rooftop, striking the immigration facility and a van in the sallyport, where the victims were hit. The gunman was found dead at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. The shooting is being investigated as a targeted attack on [the ICE gang], though no [gang members] were hit by gunfire. FBI Director Kash Patel said there was evidence of an ‘ideological motive’ at the scene and posted an image on X showing an unspent shell casing inscribed with the words ‘ANTI-ICE’ in blue writing.” (09/24/25)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/09/24/shooting-at-ice-facility-in-dallas/86324683007/
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4) Senile reality TV star demands investigation into minor inconveniences
Source: ABC News
“President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded an ‘immediate investigation’ into what he claimed was ‘triple sabotage’ during his United Nations visit on Tuesday, citing a stopped escalator and a teleprompter that wasn’t working. ‘A REAL DISGRACE took place at the United Nations yesterday — Not one, not two, but three very sinister events!,’ he posted on his social media platform, saying he was sending a letter to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. ‘First, the escalator going up to the Main Speaking Floor came to a screeching halt’ … he wrote. … After complaining about a second issue — how his teleprompter didn’t work for the first 15 minutes of his address — he claimed the audio in the General Assembly Hall has been turned off.” (09/24/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/US/responds-trump-escalator-malfunction/story?id=125885502
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5) US Treasury announces bailout plan for Argentina’s regime
Source: United Press International
“The U.S. Treasury is preparing a $20 billion currency swap with Argentina, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday. He announced the plan after Argentine President Javier Milei met a day earlier with President Donald Trump at the United Nations General Assembly. Bessent reiterated the United States is ‘ready to do whatever it takes to support Argentina and the Argentine people’ in a message on X in which he also praised Milei’s leadership. He added that the United States ‘is prepared’ to buy Argentina’s dollar-denominated debt. … The announcement amounts to a prearranged ‘loan’ that would give Argentina’s government dollars in exchange for pesos, with the commitment to repay the funds within a set period at an agreed interest rate. The main goal is to prevent the economic adjustment program led by Milei from failing.” (09/24/25)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2025/09/24/argentina-argentina-united-states-currency-swap/2881758735936/
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6) CA: Hoplophobes are literally shaking right now after unloaded BB gun found at middle school, kids arrested
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
“Two Spring Valley middle school students were arrested Tuesday, accused of having a BB gun on campus, the Sheriff’s Office said. Deputies were called to STEAM Academy on Leland Street about 11:30 a.m., responding to a report that a student had a firearm on campus, Sgt. Matthew Moser said in a news release. … A search turned up a BB gun in the backpack of one of the students, he said. It was not loaded.” [editor’s note: Whichever idiot cop arrested two kids over an unloaded BB gun needs to be fired – TLK] (09/24/25)
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/09/24/two-students-arrested-after-bb-gun-found-at-spring-valley-middle-school/
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7) Denmark: PM Apologises in Person to Greenland Women Over Forced Contraception
Source: US News & World Report
“Denmark’s prime minister apologised in person on Wednesday to women who were victims of a decades-long involuntary birth control campaign, which has left islanders with deep scars and strained relations with their former colonial power. Thousands of women and girls as young as 12 were fitted with intrauterine devices without their knowledge or consent between 1966 and 1991, the year Greenland was given authority over its healthcare system. ‘I don’t believe we can achieve the more equal and proper relationship that many of us desire unless we dare opening even the darkest chapters,'” Mette Frederiksen, dressed all in black, said at a ceremony in Greenland’s capital Nuuk. The ceremony marks another step in Denmark’s accelerated efforts to repair ties with Greenland since U.S. President Donald Trump this year began vowing to take control of the vast, resource-rich Arctic island for security [sic] reasons.” (09/24/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-09-24/denmarks-pm-apologises-in-person-to-greenland-women-over-forced-contraception
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8) Judge scolds Justice Department over public statements in UnitedHealthcare CEO murder case
Source: The Hill
“At least two senior Justice Department officials likely broke court rules governing the conduct of prosecutors by reposting comments President Donald Trump made about Luigi Mangione, the man accused of assassinating the CEO at UnitedHealthcare, a federal judge said Wednesday. Judge Margaret M. Garnett said in an order that the officials probably violated a local rule limiting what prosecutors can say publicly about the guilt or innocence of a defendant before a trial. … ‘Future violations may result in sanctions, which could include personal financial penalties, contempt of court findings, or relief specific to the prosecution of this matter,’ the judge wrote.” (09/24/25)
https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-business/ap-judge-scolds-justice-department-over-public-statements-in-unitedhealthcare-ceo-murder-case/
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9) Italy: Regime deploys navy ship to help Gaza aid flotilla targeted in drone attack
Source: CNN
“Italy said it deployed one of its naval vessels on Wednesday to come to the aid of an aid flotilla that was targeted by drones while trying to reach Gaza, with activists claiming that Israel was behind the strikes. Volunteers from the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) – an organization trying to get aid into the besieged enclave using ships setting sail from ports across the Mediterranean – say that some of their vessels were targeted by drones. The organization claimed the attacks are part of a sustained Israeli campaign of intimidation. … Italy has authorized the dispatch of an Italian naval vessel, which according to a statement from Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, is now en route to the area for possible rescue operations. The statement added that the drone attack was carried out by ‘currently unidentified perpetrators.’” (09/24/25)
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/24/world/italy-gaza-aid-flotilla-latam-intl
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10) Federal judge dumps Peter Strzok lawsuit over FBI firing for anti-Trump texts
Source: Fox News
“A federal judge rejected former FBI agent Peter Strzok’s claims that his termination from the federal law enforcement agency ran afoul of the U.S. Constitution. Strzok was fired during President Donald Trump’s first term. He sent anti-Trump text messages while leading the Crossfire Hurricane investigation into Trump’s campaign and Russia. ‘At this point, only two issues remain to be resolved: did plaintiff’s termination violate the First Amendment, and did his termination violate the Fifth Amendment guarantee against the deprivation of property without due process of law?’ an order signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson explained. … The court found that Strzok’s ‘interest in expressing his opinions about political candidates on his FBI phone at that time was outweighed by the FBI’s interest in avoiding the appearance of bias in its ongoing investigations of those very people, and in protecting against the disruption of its law enforcement operations under then-Director Wray’s leadership.'” (09/24/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/federal-judge-dumps-peter-strzok-lawsuit-over-fbi-firing-anti-trump-texts
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11) Typhoon Ragasa makes landfall in China after devastating Taiwan and Philippines
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“Super Typhoon Ragasa, the world’s most powerful tropical cyclone this year, has made landfall in southern China. After killing 15 people in Taiwan and lashing Hong Kong with ferocious winds and heavy rains, Typhoon Ragasa made landfall in the southern Chinese city of Yangjiang in the Guangdong province, China’s national meteorological centre reported on Wednesday. In Taiwan’s eastern Hualien county, 17 people remained missing after a barrier lake overflowed and sent a wall of water into a town, the fire department said on Wednesday. Ragasa’s outer rim has drenched the island since Monday.” (09/24/25)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/sep/24/typhoon-ragasa-live-china-hong-kong-taiwan-philippines-latest-storm-news-updates
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12) FBI says it found classified documents in John Bolton’s DC office
Source: Politico
“FBI agents executing a search warrant at former national security adviser John Bolton’s downtown Washington office last month turned up documents marked as classified, according to a court filing released Tuesday. A description of the documents gathered in the Aug. 22 search suggested they included materials that referenced weapons of mass destruction, the U.S. mission to the United Nations and records related to the U.S. government’s strategic communications. The inventory by an FBI agent doesn’t specify the number of suspected classified documents. But it lists several collections or folders that were labeled ‘confidential’ and some pages marked ‘secret.'” (09/23/25)
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/23/fbi-classified-documents-john-bolton-dc-office-00577894
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13) Malawi: Chakwera concedes election defeat, former leader set for victory
Source: ABC News
“President Lazarus Chakwera conceded defeat Wednesday in Malawi’s elections, saying former leader Peter Mutharika is the ‘presumptive winner’ of the southern African nation’s presidential election. Chakwera said in a speech on national television that he had spoken with Mutharika to congratulate him. … Mutharika, 85, was previously Malawi president from 2014 to 2020. He received more than 60% of the vote in last week’s election when partial results were announced on Monday night.” (09/24/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/malawi-president-chakwera-concedes-defeat-election-former-leader-125885595
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14) Colombia: Petro calls for criminal investigation against Trump over Caribbean murders
Source: ABC News
“Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday called for a criminal investigation against U.S. President Donald Trump and other officials involved in this month’s deadly strikes on boats in the Caribbean that the White House has said were transporting drugs. Petro repudiated the three attacks in his speech at the annual meeting of the U.N. General Assembly during which he also accused Trump of criminalizing poverty and migration. ‘Criminal proceedings must be opened against those officials, who are from the U.S., even if it includes the highest-ranking official who gave the order: President Trump,’ Petro said of the strikes, adding that boat passengers were not members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang as claimed by the Trump administration after the first attack.” (09/23/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/colombias-president-calls-criminal-investigation-trump-caribbean-strikes-125877313
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15) Huntington’s disease successfully treated for first time
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“One of the cruellest and most devastating diseases – Huntington’s – has been successfully treated for the first time, say doctors. The disease runs through families, relentlessly kills brain cells and resembles a combination of dementia, Parkinson’s and motor neurone disease. An emotional research team became tearful as they described how data shows the disease was slowed by 75% in patients. … The new treatment is a type of gene therapy given during 12 to 18 hours of delicate brain surgery. The first symptoms of Huntington’s disease tend to appear in your 30s or 40s and is normally fatal within two decades – opening the possibility that earlier treatment could prevent symptoms from ever emerging.” (09/24/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cevz13xkxpro
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16) Turkey: Regime Jails Comedian, Rapper Over Joke Deemed Offensive to Islam
Source: US News & World Report
“Turkey jailed two men late on Tuesday pending trial after prosecutors said their online show included a joke referencing a hadith or teaching of the Prophet Muhammad, which they allege could incite religious hatred. An Istanbul court ordered the detention of YouTuber Bogac Soydemir, host of the programme ‘Soguk Savas,’ and his guest Enes Akgunduz, a rapper, after authorities said the show featured a quip about the hadith ‘wine is the mother of all evil.’ Prosecutors argued the remark risked stirring hostility on religious grounds. Both men apologised after the broadcast and denied wrongdoing when they appeared in court on Tuesday.” (09/24/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-09-24/turkey-jails-comedian-rapper-over-joke-deemed-offensive-to-islam
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17) Ford recalls over 115k trucks due to defect that could lead to loss of steering control
Source: Fox News
“More than 115,000 Ford trucks are being recalled because drivers could lose control of steering, according to U.S. auto safety regulators. A defect impacting certain F-250, F-350 and F-450 vehicles, from model years 2020 through 2021, can cause the steering column’s upper shaft to detach, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In total, 115,539 vehicles are impacted by this recall. This means the driver could lose steering control of the vehicle, the auto safety regulator said. The recall notice, posted by regulators on Wednesday, said Ford dealers will inspect and repair or replace the faulty component free of charge. Letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed on Oct. 6. However, additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, which is expected to be in December 2025.” (09/24/25)
https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/ford-recalls-over-115k-trucks-due-defect-could-lead-loss-steering-control
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18) Ryan Routh found guilty of attempting to assassinate Trump
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“A US man has been found guilty of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump last September near Trump’s Florida golf course, United States Attorney General Pam Bondi said on social media. A jury found that Ryan Routh, 59, intended to kill Trump, then a former president and Republican presidential candidate, when he pointed a rifle through a fence while Trump was golfing at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. … Routh appeared to try to stab himself with a pen several times after the verdict was revealed in court, and had to be restrained by US marshals, according to US media reports.” (09/23/25)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/23/ryan-routh-found-guilty-of-attempting-to-assassinate-trump-in-florida
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19) CA: Officials investigate death of ICE gang kidnap victim
Source: SFGate
“Officials are investigating the death this week of a 39-year-old Mexican man who was in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in Southern California. Ismael Ayala-Uribe was transferred Sunday from the Adelanto ICE Processing Center to a regional hospital for surgery on an abscess on his buttock, according to an ICE statement. Hospital staff found him unresponsive and ‘initiated lifesaving measures’ but he was declared dead around 2:30 a.m. Monday, the statement said. The cause of death is under investigation. In addition to the abscess, Ayala-Uribe suffered from hypertension and tachycardia, an abnormally fast heart rate, according to ICE. Federal records show that more than a dozen people have died in immigration detention since January, when immigration officials began to implement President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.” (09/24/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/officials-investigate-death-of-mexican-man-in-ice-21065393.php
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20) Khamenei: Iranian Regime Has No Plans for Nuclear Weapon
Source: New York Times
“As European leaders warn of imminently reimposing sanctions against Iran, the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stressed that Iran had no intentions of building an atomic weapon in a national address from Tehran on Tuesday. But he also insisted there was no point in negotiating with the United States — one of the top conditions that three European countries have said would be essential for them to extend sanctions relief. Mr. Khamenei reiterated that Iran had no plans to enrich its stock of uranium to the point where it could be used for a bomb. ‘Since we do not need weapons and have decided against nuclear arms, we have not gone that far,’ he said.” (09/23/25)
https://archive.is/ntT6c
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Why the Government Is So Loved by So Many
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Ryan McMaken
“One of the most memorable passages in the memoir of the escaped slave Frederick Douglass is where he describes how one group of slaves would argue with another group of slaves over whose master was richer or stronger. Exhibiting a mixture of Stockholm syndrome with delusions of grandeur, these slaves, according to Douglass, ‘seemed to think that the greatness of their masters was transferable to themselves.’ … Americans think themselves quite privileged to be dominated and exploited by the current American ruling oligarchy. Why? It is often because these victims of the regime judge their masters to be less awful than some other masters. But, not content with concluding one set of overlords to be merely less bad than another, these willing serfs then go a step further and attribute to their masters great virtue and kindness.” (09/24/25)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/why-government-so-loved-so-many
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22) Does MTG know she’d be the woman in the national divorce?
Source: Sex and the State
by Cathy Reisenwitz
“Contrary to popular myth, women do not, as a rule, marry and then divorce men for material gain. Because women are not, as a rule, very stupid. You see, marriage benefits men more than women, on average. Finances are among the reasons this is true. Women don’t marry and then divorce for money because the average woman ends up poorer after divorce. … This is important context as Marjorie Taylor Greene is once again calling for a ‘national divorce.’ As is often the case with her, I’m not sure exactly what she’s proposing. But let’s assume she wants to see ‘red’ and ‘blue’ states become separate countries. If so, she should know that the blue states would be the husband and the red states would be the wife in this political split.” (09/24/25)
https://cathyreisenwitz.substack.com/p/does-mtg-know-shed-be-the-woman-in
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23) Trump, Kimmel and the upside of ignoring big-government coercion
Source: Washington Post
by George F Will
“Progressives today are mourning the fleeting (six-day) martyrdom of Jimmy Kimmel, archetype of today’s late-night sometime-comedians, all-the-time-propagandists. And some progressives, noticing how big government can throw its weight around by working levers of coercion, are perhaps having an epiphany: Actual conservatives sensibly warn that government has too much weight and too many levers. Perhaps progressives should have been more troubled when the Biden administration was throwing its weight around, using regulatory threats from the White House and federal agencies to pressure social media companies to censor what that administration called ‘covid misinformation.'” (09/24/25)
https://archive.is/2rz8N
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24) Best to reject politics in all forms
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“One of the main reasons I can’t be conservative or liberal — Right or Left, Republican or Democrat — is that all of them trust government to some degree. I don’t trust it because I can’t. They trust government with different issues; their specific degree of trust depends on which political party holds the most offices this week. I trust government with nothing — based on its actions, not its promises, and its perpetual failure to fulfill the bare minimum justification for government throughout history. Each political faction also has areas where they doubt government, but I distrust it entirely — especially in critical matters like life, death, ethics, or natural rights. Handing those to government was a mistake.” (09/24/25)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2025/09/24/voices/opinion-best-to-reject-politics-in-all-forms/231746.html
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25) Nero at the United Nations
Source: The Realist Review
by Anatol Lieven
“If there are still historians in 100 years time, and if some of them still know Latin, then they may see Trump’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly as a key symbolic moment in the latest round of Translatio Imperii: the process whereby imperial rule and legitimacy passes from one state to another. In the present era, that means how global leadership, and the leading role in defining global norms, passes from the United States to China. … Generally in history, the Translatio Imperii has been accompanied and driven by great military catastrophes. With luck, this time that will not be necessary. If the Chinese leadership is sensible, after listening to Trump’s speech they will sit back, have some tea, continue quietly with their existing policies and watch the United States destroy its own empire.” (09/24/25)
https://therealistreview.substack.com/p/nero-at-the-united-nations
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26) After migrant influx, Germany seeks balance
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“A decade ago this month, Germany opened its borders to more than 1 million migrants, mainly Syrians, as well as Afghans and Iraqis. Many were fleeing brutal civil wars. At the time, Chancellor Angela Merkel declared, ‘Wir schaffen das!’ (We can manage this!), and the challenging task of integrating refugees began. But the country’s welcome mat soon wore thin. And that was even before the unexpected flow of another 1.25 million refugees from Ukraine after Russia’s 2022 invasion. Now, like much of Europe, Germany is tightening border controls, turning away many migrants, encouraging many to return home, and deporting those in the country illegally or with criminal records. German politics has been upended by the rise of anti-immigrant sentiment. (09/23/25)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2025/0923/After-migrant-influx-Germany-seeks-balance
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27) Seven Minutes Outside: The Collapse of Childhood Play
Source: The Daily Economy
by Hannah Frankman Hood
“Studies suggest that today’s kids get an average of 4-7 minutes of unstructured time outside a day, while they spend 7-8 hours a day in front of screens. With a youth mental health crisis also sweeping the nation (rates of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and diagnosed mental health disorders like ADHD are all at record highs), it’s not hard to imagine that the correlation between kids’ indoor confinement and their mental health struggles is more than a coincidence.” (09/24/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/seven-minutes-outside-the-collapse-of-childhood-play/
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28) In (Sort of) Defense of (Something Like) Property Taxes
Source: EconLog
by John Phelan
“A revolt is building across the United States against property taxes. From Florida to North Dakota, states have attempted or are attempting to abolish them. The anger driving this movement comes from two sources. One is the belief that you are being taxed for living in your house. ‘Is the property yours or are you just renting from the government?’ Florida governor Ron DeSantis asked. … The second driving force is that property tax burdens are often tied to the notional market value of an asset — your house — rather than to the owner’s ability to pay or the cost of providing the services the tax finances. … The first of these points is based on a misapprehension (albeit an understandable one, given the second point).” (09/24/25)
https://www.econlib.org/sort-of-defense-of-property-taxes/
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29) More Attacks on the Gaza Aid Flotilla & Other Notes From The Edge of the Narrative Matrix
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“The Global Sumud Flotilla which is bringing aid to break the Israeli siege on Gaza has once again come under attack. Activists say drones are dropping explosive objects which have reportedly burned the arm of one crew member and destroyed the main mast of one of the boats. As Middle East Eye recently noted, US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack has admitted that Israel was behind the attacks on flotilla boats in Tunisia which we discussed earlier this month …. The Israelis will literally launch drone strikes on activist boats for trying to bring formula to starving babies and then turn around and say the world hates them because of their religion.” (09/24/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/09/24/more-attacks-on-the-gaza-aid-flotilla-and-other-notes-from-the-edge-of-the-narrative-matrix/
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30) Imperial Ambitions and a Militaristic Constitution
Source: Law & Liberty
by Jeffrey Polet
“The Constitution’s original critics warned that presidential ambitions for imperial greatness could lead directly to militarism and tyranny.” (09/24/25)
https://lawliberty.org/forum/imperial-ambitions-and-a-militaristic-constitution/
-----
31) Are Trump and Rubio trying a version of trust but verify with Mexico?
Source: Fox News
by Joshua Treviño
“‘[T]here’s no other government,’ said the United States secretary of State, ‘that’s cooperating as much with us in the fight against crime as the Government of Mexico.’ Issued several days ago from the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City, with the uppermost tier of Mexico’s political elite beaming approvingly, it was a bold statement for Marco Rubio to make. It’s a big win for them, in their desperation to ward off what they see as a series of worst-case outcomes, among them tariffs, the end of United States/Mexico/Canada trade agreement (USMCA), American extraditions of their cartel-connected political class, and U.S. military strikes in their country. In this context, the praise from Rubio (perceived as a Latin America hawk in general) comes as a tremendous relief.” (09/24/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/trump-rubio-trying-version-trust-verify-mexico
-----
32) An Opportunistic Attack on the Right to Live Free
Source: Lisa Liberty
by Lisa Liberty
“Freedom on the water has long been part of Florida’s heritage. Generations of Floridians lived aboard their boats, finding community and independence on the open waters. Anchoring has long been understood as a natural right, as fundamental as breathing free air or walking down a public road. Anchoring is when a boat uses an anchor to hold itself in place on the water. It’s the most basic, traditional way people secure their boats when they are not tied to a dock or in a marina. For many Floridians, especially those living aboard their boats, anchoring is a way to make a stable, affordable home on the water. But with one quiet policy change, that right is now under direct assault.” (09/24/25)
https://lisaliberty.substack.com/p/an-opportunistic-attack-on-the-right
-----
33) Dissent for a Democratic Revival
Source: Common Dreams
by Robert Ivie
“The premise of After Empire: Myth, Rhetoric, and Democratic Revival (which I coauthored with Oscar Giner last year) is that the backlash to the decline of US empire bodes ill for democracy. Indeed, the roots of democracy are being torn up in the name of ‘Making America Great Again.’ Authoritarian rule is ascendant. While not dead yet, collective self-rule in America (whether it is called liberal democracy, electoral democracy, representative democracy, or constitutional democracy) is rapidly disintegrating. The alternative of reviving the nation’s flagging democracy, I want to suggest, must include the practice of deliberative dissent. One can hope that democracy will bounce back, starting with the 2026 election, eventually to recover its previous status and perhaps even deepen its cultural roots. It is too early not to hope. Already, though, those who would defend democracy are operating on undemocratic terrain.” (09/24/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/dissent-to-save-democracy
-----
34) Hat Havoc in the Big Apple
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Katrina Gulliver
“On September 15, 1922, Harry Oldbaum was walking near 116th St and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. He was suddenly surrounded by a crowd of teens who grabbed at him and stole his hat. Oldbaum was in good enough shape to give chase and apprehend one of his attackers, and haul the perpetrator to a nearby police station. Morris Sikeowitz, 16, was charged with disorderly conduct. It sounds like a minor street incident in a big city, but Oldbaum was just one of many victims that night. In New York at the time, there were social rules about when to wear straw hats …. sporting a boater after the end of the summer was seen as inappropriate — at least by people of means. The end-day for straw hat season had originally been September 22, but by the 1920s crept forward to September 15. However, unlike other fashion solecisms, this one suddenly came with physical enforcement.” (09/24/25)
https://fee.org/articles/hat-havoc-in-the-big-apple/
-----
35) Fixing Academia: Marketing Its Real Purpose
Source: ProSocial Libertarians
by Andrew Jason Cohen
“The core of a liberal education is training people to think clearly and analytically so they can consider and discuss issues in unbiased ways. That is the ‘learning’ we are most concerned with. We are not concerned with simply having students learn facts of history, math, or science. These things matter, but are not the big intended gains. They are intended — but are also a means to helping students gain the critical thinking analytic skills that are so much more important. Unfortunately, many colleges and universities primarily market themselves as helping students (merely) become career ready.” (09/24/25)
https://prosociallibertarians.substack.com/p/fixing-academia-marketing-its-real
-----
36) Is Trump Getting Nervous About His Drug-War Killings?
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“According to an article in the New York Times, draft legislation is circulating in Congress that would authorize President Trump and his military to use deadly force against people deemed to be narco-terrorists who are violating U.S. drug laws, as well as against countries that have aided or harbored such people. Is it Trump seeking such authorization because he is nervous about the potential consequences of having recently ordered the killing of several people on the high seas near Venezuela who were suspected of violating U.S. drug laws? After all, if Trump was legally authorized to summarily kill those people, as he claims, why would it be necessary to get congressional authorization to do so?” (09/24/25)
https://www.fff.org/2025/09/24/is-trump-getting-nervous-about-his-drug-war-killings/
-----
37) Poll shows Democrats STILL unpopular with voters on three major issues
Source: New York Post
by Henry Olsen
“Common wisdom holds that Democrats are likely to retake the House in next year’s midterms. Perhaps — that’s what history would suggest. But a recent poll shows that Republicans retain relative strength on important core issues. CNN’s Harry Enten summarized those data well in a recent appearance: Looking at the Washington Post/IPSOS poll, Enten found that Republicans retained a lead over Democrats on which party voters trust more to handle the economy, crime and immigration. The numbers aren’t close, either.” (09/23/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/09/23/opinion/poll-shows-democrats-still-unpopular-with-voters-on-three-major-issues/
-----
38) Rage Is Now the Machine
Source: Quillette
by George Case
“Political culture in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder on 10 September 2025 has followed a predictable pattern. There was the original sequence of discrete events (the shooting, the hunt for an assailant, the arrest of a suspect), followed by the volumes of public speculation, accusation, irreverence, and invective that crop up around them. Some of this arises spontaneously, but much of it is cultivated by platforms where outrage — about the news, about others’ offensive failure to be properly outraged by it, about the offensive outrage aimed at anyone who’s not outraged, and so on — is the main subject, and the main product.” (09/24/25)
https://quillette.com/2025/09/24/rage-is-now-the-machine-angertainment/
-----
39) How a little-known embassy aide hijacked US Israel policy
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Connor Echols
“David Milstein, top adviser to Amb. Mike Huckabee, has stoked a culture of fear at the State Department, current and former officials say.” (09/24/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/david-milstein-israel/
-----
40) What Does Iran Have to Do?
Source: The American Conservative
by Ted Snider
“As early as this upcoming Sunday, the E3 — the UK, France and Germany — will probably trigger the snapback clause of the shattered 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement with Iran. That means the economy and people of Iran will face the full weight of the sanctions the JCPOA promised to end. Though the snapback sanctions may succeed in what may be their true purpose, punishing Iran for not abandoning Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, they will fail in their aim of accomplishing a new nuclear deal with Iran.” (09/24/25)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/what-does-iran-have-to-do/
-----
41) Big Banks Behaving Badly
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“One Tuesday night in July 2023, Ron Luessen got contacted by a late-shift worker on the support team for Elcon, a construction firm in the Pacific Northwest. Luessen, an equipment manager, was off the clock, but he was the main point of contact, and the worker was puzzled. ‘We’re supposed to be working tonight, and this place is closed,’ Luessen recalled the message. ‘What do you want us to do?’ There wasn’t any reason for the building to be closed. Elcon was steadily busy, recently picking up business in Billings, Montana, beyond its base of operations in Seattle. The company had even just updated the kitchens. But the next day, around 120 Elcon employees got the official word: Don’t come in. After 42 years building bridges, highways, rail lines, airports, and basic infrastructure Americans use every day, Elcon was history.” (09/24/25)
https://prospect.org/economy/2025-09-24-big-banks-behaving-badly/
-----
42) It’s not the state’s job to manage kids’ screentime
Source: spiked
by Aaron Newbury
“Everyone agrees kids need to spend less time on screens. Parents complain, teachers despair and who doesn’t roll their eyes at the sight of an ‘iPad baby?’ But the idea that Whitehall can, or should, slap a daily screen-time ration on kids is absurd. It is yet another cringeworthy example of politicians mistaking themselves for substitute parents.” (09/24/25)
https://www.spiked-online.com/2025/09/24/its-not-the-states-job-to-manage-kids-screentime/
-----
43) The Problem With Arguing ‘They Did It to Us First’
Source: The Dispatch
by Jonah Goldberg
“[T]here’s a problem with the primary argument offered by Cruz, Shapiro, and others on the right in response to the administration’s heel turn on the First Amendment. And the problem is not that they’re wrong. Cruz and Shapiro are obviously correct to worry that a future Democratic administration could exploit the precedents Trump is laying down to target right-wing media. Indeed, many argue — correctly — that Trump is exploiting precedents laid down by the last Democratic administration. This is oft-repeated argument for retribution: ‘They did it to us first.’ Again, the problem with the ‘they did it to us first’ and the ‘they could do this to us later’ arguments — about censorship, but also ‘lawfare,’ congressional redistricting, etc. — is not that they’re wrong. It’s that they sidestep the wrongness of the deeds themselves.” (09/24/25)
https://thedispatch.com/article/cruz-shapiro-defend-first-amendment-trump/
-----
44) Charter schools on trial: Will Kentucky parents finally get a choice?
Source: Bluegrass Institute
by Jim Waters
“The contrast between supporters and opponents of expanding education freedom in Kentucky was starkly evident during the recent Kentucky Supreme Court hearing on the constitutionality of legislation funding public charter schools. On one side, the Council for Better Education (CBE) and the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) – whose members were appointed by Gov. Andy Beshear largely because of their opposition to parental empowerment – argued against allowing Kentuckians access to public charter schools, an option available in 44 other states, Washington, D.C., Guam and Puerto Rico. Control and money drive their arguments. They resent the autonomy of charter schools, including their independent boards’ ability to tailor curriculum, staffing and resources to meet students’ needs.” (09/23/25)
https://www.bluegrassinstitute.org/charter-schools-on-trial-will-kentucky-parents-finally-get-a-choice/
-----
45) Pritzker and Johnson: The New “Normal?”
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis
“Those of us who consider ourselves ‘normal’ human beings (believers in traditional, reasonable modes of human conduct — i.e., family, hard work, protection of property, concern for the well-being of others, decency, human dignity) we who hold to these traditional principles have become utterly appalled at what we have come to witness in about half of America today. We call the above ‘normal,’ but they aren’t ‘normal’ to many Americans anymore and ‘normality’ is no longer subject to any majority agreement in the country. For example, J. B. Pritzker and Brandon Johnson are extremely upset that President Trump wants to try to end the horrendous crime in Chicago. … How in the world could any decent human be opposed to stopping this barbarism?” (09/24/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2025/09/24/pritzker-and-johnson-the-new-normal-n2663864
-----
46) Knowledge & Ignorance In The 21st Century
Source: The Findings Substack
by Paul Rosenberg
“Since roughly 2005 nearly the whole of human knowledge has been available almost anywhere, any time, at a negligible cost, and yet almost nothing has changed. And so conventional wisdom regarding knowledge and ignorance, beliefs that dominated the 20th century, have been exposed as incorrect. To be clear, I should explain that the conventional wisdom I refer to is the assumption that problems are caused by ignorance, that more knowledge in more brains will fix them and that smart and educated people almost necessarily behave better.” (09/23/25)
https://thefindings.substack.com/p/knowledge-and-ignorance-in-the-21st
-----
47) What is the relationship between domination and exploitation?
Source: The Peaceful Revolutionist
by David S D’Amato
“Respect theories of exploitation claim that it is fundamentally about the failure to ‘treat exploitees with equal concern and respect.’ [Nicholas] Vrousalis says that the paradigm here, in addition to the feudal lord and the monopolist, is the rentier class and Piketty’s ‘‘patrimonial capitalist’ who gains from background unfairness.’ Such respect-based theories, as restated by Vrousalis, involve the Kantian worry about treating other people as mere means to your own ends, typically through the use of coercive force or some other kind of fundamental relational unfairness. It’s important to point out that while, for Vrousalis, respect theories don’t neatly reduce exploitation to force or coercion, this does not mean that they necessarily exclude these factors.” (09/23/25)
https://dsdamato.substack.com/p/what-is-the-relationship-between
-----
48) Why Is the American Experiment in Trouble? Simple: A Demagogue Has Ignited the “Dark Passions” of the People
Source: The UnPopulist
by Jonathan Rauch
“Liberalism’s real failure is that it assumes far too sunny a view of human nature, three recent books suggest.” (09/23/25)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/why-is-the-american-experiment-in
-----
49) Could a “Maximum Wage” Combat Billionaire Power?
Source: In These Times
by Celeste Pepitone-Nahas
“In the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, the power of the extremely wealthy over public policy has never been more evident. As Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has asserted, ‘Trump has … said it loudly and clearly: we are a government of billionaires.’ The troubling extent to which we are ruled by the rich is hardly debatable. The real question is: what can we do about it? One solution that has been proposed in the past is implementing a ‘maximum wage.’ Such a cap would limit the amount any individual can earn over a given period. There are a couple different ways that this limit could be accomplished. One way would be to use tax policy: We could simply levy a 100% tax rate on income over a particular level.” [editor’s note: I’ll leave the readers of this to comment on the sheer idiocy of penalizing productivity in this proposal – SAT] (09/23/25)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/maximum-wage-billionaire-ceos-economy-trump-inequality
-----
50) Why the Charlie Kirk Memorial Might Spell the End of Trump and MAGA
Source: Reason
by Nick Gillespie
“Speeches by the president, Stephen Miller, and Tucker Carlson will accelerate dislike of the president’s agenda.” (09/23/25)
https://reason.com/2025/09/23/why-the-charlie-kirk-memorial-might-spell-the-end-of-trump-and-maga/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Interview: Dan Krauss
Source: Reason
“How the U.S. Sold Its Longest War with a Bodyguard of Lies.” (09/24/25)
https://reason.com/podcast/2025/09/24/gillespie-krauss/
-----
52) The Political Orphanage, 09/24/25
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Why Europe is Poorer than America.” (09/24/25)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/why-europe-is-poorer-than-america
-----
53) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 09/24/25
Source: The New Republic
“Trump’s Angry, Unhinged Tirades at U.N. Rattle Experts: ‘Really Crazy.'” (09/24/25)
https://newrepublic.com/article/200841/trump-angry-unhinged-tirades-un-rattle-experts-really-crazy
-----
54) SolutionsWatch, 09/24/25
Source: The Corbett Report
“Escaping the Madhouse.” (09/24/25)
https://corbettreport.com/escaping-the-madhouse-solutionswatch/
-----
55) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 09/24/25
Source: The Dispatch
“You Know That I Know | Interview: Steven Pinker.” (09/24/25)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/you-know-that-i-know-interview-steven-pinker/
-----
56) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 09/24/25
Source: Antiwar.com
“Trump Says Ukraine Can Retake All Territory, Gaza Aid Flotilla Under Attack, and More.” (09/24/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30URhivUGb8
-----
57) Politics Politics Politics, 09/23/25
Source: Politics Politics Politics
“Is This Shutdown Guaranteed? Attending Charlie Kirk’s Memorial (with Claire Meynial).” (09/23/25)
https://www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/p/is-this-shutdown-guaranteed-attending
-----
58) Fountainhead Forum, episode 363
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Agustin Almada on Javier Milei and recent elections in Argentina.” (09/23/25)
https://rumble.com/v6ze0j4-ff-363-agustin-almada-on-javier-milei-and-recent-elections-in-argentina.html
-----
59) System Update, episode 520
Source: System Update
“Tucker Carlson on Charlie Kirk Assassination Fallout, Free Speech, Foreign Policy, and the Reaction to his Kirk Remarks.” (09/23/25)
https://rumble.com/v6zdjaw-system-update-show-520.html
-----
60) The Climate Realism Show, episode 174
Source: Heartland Institute
“Climate Realism Is HOT in the UK.” (09/23/25)
https://heartland.org/podcasts/climate-realism-is-hot-in-the-uk-the-climate-realism-show-174/
-----
61) Bulwark Takes, 09/23/25
Source: The Bulwark
“Barstool’s Kirk Minihane: The MAGA Right Can’t Take a Joke.” (09/23/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3GHIdMxdf4
-----
62) Free Speech Unmuted, 09/23/25
Source: Hoover Institution
“Kimmel, the FCC, and the Government’s Power Over Broadcast Speech | Eugene Volokh and Jane Bambauer.” (09/23/25)
https://free-speech-unmuted.podbean.com/e/kimmel-the-fcc-and-the-governments-power-over-broadcast-speech-eugene-volokh-and-jane-bambauer-hoover-institution/
-----
63) Underthrow Podcast, 09/23/25
Source: Underthrow
“How (Not) to Shrink the State with Matt Zwolinski.” (09/23/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_Gp4TzmcNg
-----
64) Nonzero, 09/23/25
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“Israel, Gaza, and Free Speech in America | Robert Wright & Glenn Loury.” (09/23/25)
https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/69023
-----
65) Trump Watch, 09/23/25
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“No Big Left-Right Political Divide in America.” (09/23/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PAeNv0e4G8
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Shutdown theater: White House tells agencies to prepare for mass layoffs
2) Russia: Ukrainian drones attack major petrochemical complex
3) TX: Two abductees, shooter dead in attack at ICE gang lair
4) Senile reality TV star demands investigation into minor inconveniences
5) US Treasury announces bailout plan for Argentina’s regime
6) CA: Hoplophobes are literally shaking right now after unloaded BB gun found at middle school, kids arrested
7) Denmark: PM Apologises in Person to Greenland Women Over Forced Contraception
8) Judge scolds Justice Department over public statements in UnitedHealthcare CEO murder case
9) Italy: Regime deploys navy ship to help Gaza aid flotilla targeted in drone attack
10) Federal judge dumps Peter Strzok lawsuit over FBI firing for anti-Trump texts
11) Typhoon Ragasa makes landfall in China after devastating Taiwan and Philippines
12) FBI says it found classified documents in John Bolton’s DC office
13) Malawi: Chakwera concedes election defeat, former leader set for victory
14) Colombia: Petro calls for criminal investigation against Trump over Caribbean murders
15) Huntington’s disease successfully treated for first time
16) Turkey: Regime Jails Comedian, Rapper Over Joke Deemed Offensive to Islam
17) Ford recalls over 115k trucks due to defect that could lead to loss of steering control
18) Ryan Routh found guilty of attempting to assassinate Trump
19) CA: Officials investigate death of ICE gang kidnap victim
20) Khamenei: Iranian Regime Has No Plans for Nuclear Weapon
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Why the Government Is So Loved by So Many
22) Does MTG know she’d be the woman in the national divorce?
23) Trump, Kimmel and the upside of ignoring big-government coercion
24) Best to reject politics in all forms
25) Nero at the United Nations
26) After migrant influx, Germany seeks balance
27) Seven Minutes Outside: The Collapse of Childhood Play
28) In (Sort of) Defense of (Something Like) Property Taxes
29) More Attacks on the Gaza Aid Flotilla & Other Notes From The Edge of the Narrative Matrix
30) Imperial Ambitions and a Militaristic Constitution
31) Are Trump and Rubio trying a version of trust but verify with Mexico?
32) An Opportunistic Attack on the Right to Live Free
33) Dissent for a Democratic Revival
34) Hat Havoc in the Big Apple
35) Fixing Academia: Marketing Its Real Purpose
36) Is Trump Getting Nervous About His Drug-War Killings?
37) Poll shows Democrats STILL unpopular with voters on three major issues
38) Rage Is Now the Machine
39) How a little-known embassy aide hijacked US Israel policy
40) What Does Iran Have to Do?
41) Big Banks Behaving Badly
42) It’s not the state’s job to manage kids’ screentime
43) The Problem With Arguing ‘They Did It to Us First’
44) Charter schools on trial: Will Kentucky parents finally get a choice?
45) Pritzker and Johnson: The New “Normal?”
46) Knowledge & Ignorance In The 21st Century
47) What is the relationship between domination and exploitation?
48) Why Is the American Experiment in Trouble? Simple: A Demagogue Has Ignited the “Dark Passions” of the People
49) Could a “Maximum Wage” Combat Billionaire Power?
50) Why the Charlie Kirk Memorial Might Spell the End of Trump and MAGA
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Interview: Dan Krauss
52) The Political Orphanage, 09/24/25
53) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 09/24/25
54) SolutionsWatch, 09/24/25
55) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 09/24/25
56) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 09/24/25
57) Politics Politics Politics, 09/23/25
58) Fountainhead Forum, episode 363
59) System Update, episode 520
60) The Climate Realism Show, episode 174
61) Bulwark Takes, 09/23/25
62) Free Speech Unmuted, 09/23/25
63) Underthrow Podcast, 09/23/25
64) Nonzero, 09/23/25
65) Trump Watch, 09/23/25
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Shutdown theater: White House tells agencies to prepare for mass layoffs
Source: CBS News
“The White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sent a memo to federal agencies Wednesday night telling them to prepare layoff plans if there is a government shutdown [sic], increasing the stakes ahead of Congress'[s] Tuesday deadline to pass a government funding bill. … The memo, obtained by CBS News, tells agencies to consider reduction-in-force notices — a federal term for layoffs — for employees in programs, projects or activities that have discretionary funding that stops on Oct. 1 or that don’t have any alternative sources of funding. It also goes further and says that employees should get RIF notices if they’re in programs or projects ‘not consistent with the President’s priorities.’ The RIF notices would be in addition to any furlough notices directing federal workers to stay home from work without pay if there is a shutdown, the memo states.” (09/24/25)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-house-trump-layoffs-omb-government-shutdown/
-----
2) Russia: Ukrainian drones attack major petrochemical complex
Source: Reuters
“The Salavat petrochemical complex, one of Russia’s largest which is located in Bashkortostan region, was attacked by Ukrainian drones, the local governor said on Wednesday via his channel on Telegram, the second such attack in less than a week. … Ukraine has intensified drone attacks on Russia’s vast oil and gas infrastructure in the past weeks, targeting refineries and export-bound pipelines, as peace talks with Moscow have stalled. Russia is seeing shortages of certain fuel grades as the attacks have reduced refinery runs, and as high borrowing costs mean private filling stations cannot afford to stockpile fuel, according to traders and retailers.” (09/24/25)
https://archive.is/IWI9T
-----
3) TX: Two abductees, shooter dead in attack at ICE gang lair
Source: USA Today
“A shooter opened fire on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas on Wednesday, killing one [abductee] and critically wounding two others in what authorities are investigating as an ‘act of targeted violence.’ Officials say the shooter fired ‘indiscriminately’ from a nearby rooftop, striking the immigration facility and a van in the sallyport, where the victims were hit. The gunman was found dead at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. The shooting is being investigated as a targeted attack on [the ICE gang], though no [gang members] were hit by gunfire. FBI Director Kash Patel said there was evidence of an ‘ideological motive’ at the scene and posted an image on X showing an unspent shell casing inscribed with the words ‘ANTI-ICE’ in blue writing.” (09/24/25)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/09/24/shooting-at-ice-facility-in-dallas/86324683007/
-----
4) Senile reality TV star demands investigation into minor inconveniences
Source: ABC News
“President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded an ‘immediate investigation’ into what he claimed was ‘triple sabotage’ during his United Nations visit on Tuesday, citing a stopped escalator and a teleprompter that wasn’t working. ‘A REAL DISGRACE took place at the United Nations yesterday — Not one, not two, but three very sinister events!,’ he posted on his social media platform, saying he was sending a letter to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. ‘First, the escalator going up to the Main Speaking Floor came to a screeching halt’ … he wrote. … After complaining about a second issue — how his teleprompter didn’t work for the first 15 minutes of his address — he claimed the audio in the General Assembly Hall has been turned off.” (09/24/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/US/responds-trump-escalator-malfunction/story?id=125885502
-----
5) US Treasury announces bailout plan for Argentina’s regime
Source: United Press International
“The U.S. Treasury is preparing a $20 billion currency swap with Argentina, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday. He announced the plan after Argentine President Javier Milei met a day earlier with President Donald Trump at the United Nations General Assembly. Bessent reiterated the United States is ‘ready to do whatever it takes to support Argentina and the Argentine people’ in a message on X in which he also praised Milei’s leadership. He added that the United States ‘is prepared’ to buy Argentina’s dollar-denominated debt. … The announcement amounts to a prearranged ‘loan’ that would give Argentina’s government dollars in exchange for pesos, with the commitment to repay the funds within a set period at an agreed interest rate. The main goal is to prevent the economic adjustment program led by Milei from failing.” (09/24/25)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2025/09/24/argentina-argentina-united-states-currency-swap/2881758735936/
-----
6) CA: Hoplophobes are literally shaking right now after unloaded BB gun found at middle school, kids arrested
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
“Two Spring Valley middle school students were arrested Tuesday, accused of having a BB gun on campus, the Sheriff’s Office said. Deputies were called to STEAM Academy on Leland Street about 11:30 a.m., responding to a report that a student had a firearm on campus, Sgt. Matthew Moser said in a news release. … A search turned up a BB gun in the backpack of one of the students, he said. It was not loaded.” [editor’s note: Whichever idiot cop arrested two kids over an unloaded BB gun needs to be fired – TLK] (09/24/25)
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/09/24/two-students-arrested-after-bb-gun-found-at-spring-valley-middle-school/
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7) Denmark: PM Apologises in Person to Greenland Women Over Forced Contraception
Source: US News & World Report
“Denmark’s prime minister apologised in person on Wednesday to women who were victims of a decades-long involuntary birth control campaign, which has left islanders with deep scars and strained relations with their former colonial power. Thousands of women and girls as young as 12 were fitted with intrauterine devices without their knowledge or consent between 1966 and 1991, the year Greenland was given authority over its healthcare system. ‘I don’t believe we can achieve the more equal and proper relationship that many of us desire unless we dare opening even the darkest chapters,'” Mette Frederiksen, dressed all in black, said at a ceremony in Greenland’s capital Nuuk. The ceremony marks another step in Denmark’s accelerated efforts to repair ties with Greenland since U.S. President Donald Trump this year began vowing to take control of the vast, resource-rich Arctic island for security [sic] reasons.” (09/24/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-09-24/denmarks-pm-apologises-in-person-to-greenland-women-over-forced-contraception
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8) Judge scolds Justice Department over public statements in UnitedHealthcare CEO murder case
Source: The Hill
“At least two senior Justice Department officials likely broke court rules governing the conduct of prosecutors by reposting comments President Donald Trump made about Luigi Mangione, the man accused of assassinating the CEO at UnitedHealthcare, a federal judge said Wednesday. Judge Margaret M. Garnett said in an order that the officials probably violated a local rule limiting what prosecutors can say publicly about the guilt or innocence of a defendant before a trial. … ‘Future violations may result in sanctions, which could include personal financial penalties, contempt of court findings, or relief specific to the prosecution of this matter,’ the judge wrote.” (09/24/25)
https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-business/ap-judge-scolds-justice-department-over-public-statements-in-unitedhealthcare-ceo-murder-case/
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9) Italy: Regime deploys navy ship to help Gaza aid flotilla targeted in drone attack
Source: CNN
“Italy said it deployed one of its naval vessels on Wednesday to come to the aid of an aid flotilla that was targeted by drones while trying to reach Gaza, with activists claiming that Israel was behind the strikes. Volunteers from the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) – an organization trying to get aid into the besieged enclave using ships setting sail from ports across the Mediterranean – say that some of their vessels were targeted by drones. The organization claimed the attacks are part of a sustained Israeli campaign of intimidation. … Italy has authorized the dispatch of an Italian naval vessel, which according to a statement from Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, is now en route to the area for possible rescue operations. The statement added that the drone attack was carried out by ‘currently unidentified perpetrators.’” (09/24/25)
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/24/world/italy-gaza-aid-flotilla-latam-intl
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10) Federal judge dumps Peter Strzok lawsuit over FBI firing for anti-Trump texts
Source: Fox News
“A federal judge rejected former FBI agent Peter Strzok’s claims that his termination from the federal law enforcement agency ran afoul of the U.S. Constitution. Strzok was fired during President Donald Trump’s first term. He sent anti-Trump text messages while leading the Crossfire Hurricane investigation into Trump’s campaign and Russia. ‘At this point, only two issues remain to be resolved: did plaintiff’s termination violate the First Amendment, and did his termination violate the Fifth Amendment guarantee against the deprivation of property without due process of law?’ an order signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson explained. … The court found that Strzok’s ‘interest in expressing his opinions about political candidates on his FBI phone at that time was outweighed by the FBI’s interest in avoiding the appearance of bias in its ongoing investigations of those very people, and in protecting against the disruption of its law enforcement operations under then-Director Wray’s leadership.'” (09/24/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/federal-judge-dumps-peter-strzok-lawsuit-over-fbi-firing-anti-trump-texts
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11) Typhoon Ragasa makes landfall in China after devastating Taiwan and Philippines
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“Super Typhoon Ragasa, the world’s most powerful tropical cyclone this year, has made landfall in southern China. After killing 15 people in Taiwan and lashing Hong Kong with ferocious winds and heavy rains, Typhoon Ragasa made landfall in the southern Chinese city of Yangjiang in the Guangdong province, China’s national meteorological centre reported on Wednesday. In Taiwan’s eastern Hualien county, 17 people remained missing after a barrier lake overflowed and sent a wall of water into a town, the fire department said on Wednesday. Ragasa’s outer rim has drenched the island since Monday.” (09/24/25)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/sep/24/typhoon-ragasa-live-china-hong-kong-taiwan-philippines-latest-storm-news-updates
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12) FBI says it found classified documents in John Bolton’s DC office
Source: Politico
“FBI agents executing a search warrant at former national security adviser John Bolton’s downtown Washington office last month turned up documents marked as classified, according to a court filing released Tuesday. A description of the documents gathered in the Aug. 22 search suggested they included materials that referenced weapons of mass destruction, the U.S. mission to the United Nations and records related to the U.S. government’s strategic communications. The inventory by an FBI agent doesn’t specify the number of suspected classified documents. But it lists several collections or folders that were labeled ‘confidential’ and some pages marked ‘secret.'” (09/23/25)
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/23/fbi-classified-documents-john-bolton-dc-office-00577894
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13) Malawi: Chakwera concedes election defeat, former leader set for victory
Source: ABC News
“President Lazarus Chakwera conceded defeat Wednesday in Malawi’s elections, saying former leader Peter Mutharika is the ‘presumptive winner’ of the southern African nation’s presidential election. Chakwera said in a speech on national television that he had spoken with Mutharika to congratulate him. … Mutharika, 85, was previously Malawi president from 2014 to 2020. He received more than 60% of the vote in last week’s election when partial results were announced on Monday night.” (09/24/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/malawi-president-chakwera-concedes-defeat-election-former-leader-125885595
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14) Colombia: Petro calls for criminal investigation against Trump over Caribbean murders
Source: ABC News
“Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday called for a criminal investigation against U.S. President Donald Trump and other officials involved in this month’s deadly strikes on boats in the Caribbean that the White House has said were transporting drugs. Petro repudiated the three attacks in his speech at the annual meeting of the U.N. General Assembly during which he also accused Trump of criminalizing poverty and migration. ‘Criminal proceedings must be opened against those officials, who are from the U.S., even if it includes the highest-ranking official who gave the order: President Trump,’ Petro said of the strikes, adding that boat passengers were not members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang as claimed by the Trump administration after the first attack.” (09/23/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/colombias-president-calls-criminal-investigation-trump-caribbean-strikes-125877313
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15) Huntington’s disease successfully treated for first time
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“One of the cruellest and most devastating diseases – Huntington’s – has been successfully treated for the first time, say doctors. The disease runs through families, relentlessly kills brain cells and resembles a combination of dementia, Parkinson’s and motor neurone disease. An emotional research team became tearful as they described how data shows the disease was slowed by 75% in patients. … The new treatment is a type of gene therapy given during 12 to 18 hours of delicate brain surgery. The first symptoms of Huntington’s disease tend to appear in your 30s or 40s and is normally fatal within two decades – opening the possibility that earlier treatment could prevent symptoms from ever emerging.” (09/24/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cevz13xkxpro
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16) Turkey: Regime Jails Comedian, Rapper Over Joke Deemed Offensive to Islam
Source: US News & World Report
“Turkey jailed two men late on Tuesday pending trial after prosecutors said their online show included a joke referencing a hadith or teaching of the Prophet Muhammad, which they allege could incite religious hatred. An Istanbul court ordered the detention of YouTuber Bogac Soydemir, host of the programme ‘Soguk Savas,’ and his guest Enes Akgunduz, a rapper, after authorities said the show featured a quip about the hadith ‘wine is the mother of all evil.’ Prosecutors argued the remark risked stirring hostility on religious grounds. Both men apologised after the broadcast and denied wrongdoing when they appeared in court on Tuesday.” (09/24/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-09-24/turkey-jails-comedian-rapper-over-joke-deemed-offensive-to-islam
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17) Ford recalls over 115k trucks due to defect that could lead to loss of steering control
Source: Fox News
“More than 115,000 Ford trucks are being recalled because drivers could lose control of steering, according to U.S. auto safety regulators. A defect impacting certain F-250, F-350 and F-450 vehicles, from model years 2020 through 2021, can cause the steering column’s upper shaft to detach, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In total, 115,539 vehicles are impacted by this recall. This means the driver could lose steering control of the vehicle, the auto safety regulator said. The recall notice, posted by regulators on Wednesday, said Ford dealers will inspect and repair or replace the faulty component free of charge. Letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed on Oct. 6. However, additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, which is expected to be in December 2025.” (09/24/25)
https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/ford-recalls-over-115k-trucks-due-defect-could-lead-loss-steering-control
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18) Ryan Routh found guilty of attempting to assassinate Trump
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“A US man has been found guilty of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump last September near Trump’s Florida golf course, United States Attorney General Pam Bondi said on social media. A jury found that Ryan Routh, 59, intended to kill Trump, then a former president and Republican presidential candidate, when he pointed a rifle through a fence while Trump was golfing at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. … Routh appeared to try to stab himself with a pen several times after the verdict was revealed in court, and had to be restrained by US marshals, according to US media reports.” (09/23/25)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/23/ryan-routh-found-guilty-of-attempting-to-assassinate-trump-in-florida
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19) CA: Officials investigate death of ICE gang kidnap victim
Source: SFGate
“Officials are investigating the death this week of a 39-year-old Mexican man who was in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in Southern California. Ismael Ayala-Uribe was transferred Sunday from the Adelanto ICE Processing Center to a regional hospital for surgery on an abscess on his buttock, according to an ICE statement. Hospital staff found him unresponsive and ‘initiated lifesaving measures’ but he was declared dead around 2:30 a.m. Monday, the statement said. The cause of death is under investigation. In addition to the abscess, Ayala-Uribe suffered from hypertension and tachycardia, an abnormally fast heart rate, according to ICE. Federal records show that more than a dozen people have died in immigration detention since January, when immigration officials began to implement President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.” (09/24/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/officials-investigate-death-of-mexican-man-in-ice-21065393.php
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20) Khamenei: Iranian Regime Has No Plans for Nuclear Weapon
Source: New York Times
“As European leaders warn of imminently reimposing sanctions against Iran, the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stressed that Iran had no intentions of building an atomic weapon in a national address from Tehran on Tuesday. But he also insisted there was no point in negotiating with the United States — one of the top conditions that three European countries have said would be essential for them to extend sanctions relief. Mr. Khamenei reiterated that Iran had no plans to enrich its stock of uranium to the point where it could be used for a bomb. ‘Since we do not need weapons and have decided against nuclear arms, we have not gone that far,’ he said.” (09/23/25)
https://archive.is/ntT6c
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Why the Government Is So Loved by So Many
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Ryan McMaken
“One of the most memorable passages in the memoir of the escaped slave Frederick Douglass is where he describes how one group of slaves would argue with another group of slaves over whose master was richer or stronger. Exhibiting a mixture of Stockholm syndrome with delusions of grandeur, these slaves, according to Douglass, ‘seemed to think that the greatness of their masters was transferable to themselves.’ … Americans think themselves quite privileged to be dominated and exploited by the current American ruling oligarchy. Why? It is often because these victims of the regime judge their masters to be less awful than some other masters. But, not content with concluding one set of overlords to be merely less bad than another, these willing serfs then go a step further and attribute to their masters great virtue and kindness.” (09/24/25)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/why-government-so-loved-so-many
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22) Does MTG know she’d be the woman in the national divorce?
Source: Sex and the State
by Cathy Reisenwitz
“Contrary to popular myth, women do not, as a rule, marry and then divorce men for material gain. Because women are not, as a rule, very stupid. You see, marriage benefits men more than women, on average. Finances are among the reasons this is true. Women don’t marry and then divorce for money because the average woman ends up poorer after divorce. … This is important context as Marjorie Taylor Greene is once again calling for a ‘national divorce.’ As is often the case with her, I’m not sure exactly what she’s proposing. But let’s assume she wants to see ‘red’ and ‘blue’ states become separate countries. If so, she should know that the blue states would be the husband and the red states would be the wife in this political split.” (09/24/25)
https://cathyreisenwitz.substack.com/p/does-mtg-know-shed-be-the-woman-in
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23) Trump, Kimmel and the upside of ignoring big-government coercion
Source: Washington Post
by George F Will
“Progressives today are mourning the fleeting (six-day) martyrdom of Jimmy Kimmel, archetype of today’s late-night sometime-comedians, all-the-time-propagandists. And some progressives, noticing how big government can throw its weight around by working levers of coercion, are perhaps having an epiphany: Actual conservatives sensibly warn that government has too much weight and too many levers. Perhaps progressives should have been more troubled when the Biden administration was throwing its weight around, using regulatory threats from the White House and federal agencies to pressure social media companies to censor what that administration called ‘covid misinformation.'” (09/24/25)
https://archive.is/2rz8N
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24) Best to reject politics in all forms
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“One of the main reasons I can’t be conservative or liberal — Right or Left, Republican or Democrat — is that all of them trust government to some degree. I don’t trust it because I can’t. They trust government with different issues; their specific degree of trust depends on which political party holds the most offices this week. I trust government with nothing — based on its actions, not its promises, and its perpetual failure to fulfill the bare minimum justification for government throughout history. Each political faction also has areas where they doubt government, but I distrust it entirely — especially in critical matters like life, death, ethics, or natural rights. Handing those to government was a mistake.” (09/24/25)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2025/09/24/voices/opinion-best-to-reject-politics-in-all-forms/231746.html
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25) Nero at the United Nations
Source: The Realist Review
by Anatol Lieven
“If there are still historians in 100 years time, and if some of them still know Latin, then they may see Trump’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly as a key symbolic moment in the latest round of Translatio Imperii: the process whereby imperial rule and legitimacy passes from one state to another. In the present era, that means how global leadership, and the leading role in defining global norms, passes from the United States to China. … Generally in history, the Translatio Imperii has been accompanied and driven by great military catastrophes. With luck, this time that will not be necessary. If the Chinese leadership is sensible, after listening to Trump’s speech they will sit back, have some tea, continue quietly with their existing policies and watch the United States destroy its own empire.” (09/24/25)
https://therealistreview.substack.com/p/nero-at-the-united-nations
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26) After migrant influx, Germany seeks balance
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“A decade ago this month, Germany opened its borders to more than 1 million migrants, mainly Syrians, as well as Afghans and Iraqis. Many were fleeing brutal civil wars. At the time, Chancellor Angela Merkel declared, ‘Wir schaffen das!’ (We can manage this!), and the challenging task of integrating refugees began. But the country’s welcome mat soon wore thin. And that was even before the unexpected flow of another 1.25 million refugees from Ukraine after Russia’s 2022 invasion. Now, like much of Europe, Germany is tightening border controls, turning away many migrants, encouraging many to return home, and deporting those in the country illegally or with criminal records. German politics has been upended by the rise of anti-immigrant sentiment. (09/23/25)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2025/0923/After-migrant-influx-Germany-seeks-balance
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27) Seven Minutes Outside: The Collapse of Childhood Play
Source: The Daily Economy
by Hannah Frankman Hood
“Studies suggest that today’s kids get an average of 4-7 minutes of unstructured time outside a day, while they spend 7-8 hours a day in front of screens. With a youth mental health crisis also sweeping the nation (rates of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and diagnosed mental health disorders like ADHD are all at record highs), it’s not hard to imagine that the correlation between kids’ indoor confinement and their mental health struggles is more than a coincidence.” (09/24/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/seven-minutes-outside-the-collapse-of-childhood-play/
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28) In (Sort of) Defense of (Something Like) Property Taxes
Source: EconLog
by John Phelan
“A revolt is building across the United States against property taxes. From Florida to North Dakota, states have attempted or are attempting to abolish them. The anger driving this movement comes from two sources. One is the belief that you are being taxed for living in your house. ‘Is the property yours or are you just renting from the government?’ Florida governor Ron DeSantis asked. … The second driving force is that property tax burdens are often tied to the notional market value of an asset — your house — rather than to the owner’s ability to pay or the cost of providing the services the tax finances. … The first of these points is based on a misapprehension (albeit an understandable one, given the second point).” (09/24/25)
https://www.econlib.org/sort-of-defense-of-property-taxes/
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29) More Attacks on the Gaza Aid Flotilla & Other Notes From The Edge of the Narrative Matrix
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“The Global Sumud Flotilla which is bringing aid to break the Israeli siege on Gaza has once again come under attack. Activists say drones are dropping explosive objects which have reportedly burned the arm of one crew member and destroyed the main mast of one of the boats. As Middle East Eye recently noted, US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack has admitted that Israel was behind the attacks on flotilla boats in Tunisia which we discussed earlier this month …. The Israelis will literally launch drone strikes on activist boats for trying to bring formula to starving babies and then turn around and say the world hates them because of their religion.” (09/24/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/09/24/more-attacks-on-the-gaza-aid-flotilla-and-other-notes-from-the-edge-of-the-narrative-matrix/
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30) Imperial Ambitions and a Militaristic Constitution
Source: Law & Liberty
by Jeffrey Polet
“The Constitution’s original critics warned that presidential ambitions for imperial greatness could lead directly to militarism and tyranny.” (09/24/25)
https://lawliberty.org/forum/imperial-ambitions-and-a-militaristic-constitution/
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31) Are Trump and Rubio trying a version of trust but verify with Mexico?
Source: Fox News
by Joshua Treviño
“‘[T]here’s no other government,’ said the United States secretary of State, ‘that’s cooperating as much with us in the fight against crime as the Government of Mexico.’ Issued several days ago from the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City, with the uppermost tier of Mexico’s political elite beaming approvingly, it was a bold statement for Marco Rubio to make. It’s a big win for them, in their desperation to ward off what they see as a series of worst-case outcomes, among them tariffs, the end of United States/Mexico/Canada trade agreement (USMCA), American extraditions of their cartel-connected political class, and U.S. military strikes in their country. In this context, the praise from Rubio (perceived as a Latin America hawk in general) comes as a tremendous relief.” (09/24/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/trump-rubio-trying-version-trust-verify-mexico
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32) An Opportunistic Attack on the Right to Live Free
Source: Lisa Liberty
by Lisa Liberty
“Freedom on the water has long been part of Florida’s heritage. Generations of Floridians lived aboard their boats, finding community and independence on the open waters. Anchoring has long been understood as a natural right, as fundamental as breathing free air or walking down a public road. Anchoring is when a boat uses an anchor to hold itself in place on the water. It’s the most basic, traditional way people secure their boats when they are not tied to a dock or in a marina. For many Floridians, especially those living aboard their boats, anchoring is a way to make a stable, affordable home on the water. But with one quiet policy change, that right is now under direct assault.” (09/24/25)
https://lisaliberty.substack.com/p/an-opportunistic-attack-on-the-right
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33) Dissent for a Democratic Revival
Source: Common Dreams
by Robert Ivie
“The premise of After Empire: Myth, Rhetoric, and Democratic Revival (which I coauthored with Oscar Giner last year) is that the backlash to the decline of US empire bodes ill for democracy. Indeed, the roots of democracy are being torn up in the name of ‘Making America Great Again.’ Authoritarian rule is ascendant. While not dead yet, collective self-rule in America (whether it is called liberal democracy, electoral democracy, representative democracy, or constitutional democracy) is rapidly disintegrating. The alternative of reviving the nation’s flagging democracy, I want to suggest, must include the practice of deliberative dissent. One can hope that democracy will bounce back, starting with the 2026 election, eventually to recover its previous status and perhaps even deepen its cultural roots. It is too early not to hope. Already, though, those who would defend democracy are operating on undemocratic terrain.” (09/24/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/dissent-to-save-democracy
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34) Hat Havoc in the Big Apple
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Katrina Gulliver
“On September 15, 1922, Harry Oldbaum was walking near 116th St and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. He was suddenly surrounded by a crowd of teens who grabbed at him and stole his hat. Oldbaum was in good enough shape to give chase and apprehend one of his attackers, and haul the perpetrator to a nearby police station. Morris Sikeowitz, 16, was charged with disorderly conduct. It sounds like a minor street incident in a big city, but Oldbaum was just one of many victims that night. In New York at the time, there were social rules about when to wear straw hats …. sporting a boater after the end of the summer was seen as inappropriate — at least by people of means. The end-day for straw hat season had originally been September 22, but by the 1920s crept forward to September 15. However, unlike other fashion solecisms, this one suddenly came with physical enforcement.” (09/24/25)
https://fee.org/articles/hat-havoc-in-the-big-apple/
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35) Fixing Academia: Marketing Its Real Purpose
Source: ProSocial Libertarians
by Andrew Jason Cohen
“The core of a liberal education is training people to think clearly and analytically so they can consider and discuss issues in unbiased ways. That is the ‘learning’ we are most concerned with. We are not concerned with simply having students learn facts of history, math, or science. These things matter, but are not the big intended gains. They are intended — but are also a means to helping students gain the critical thinking analytic skills that are so much more important. Unfortunately, many colleges and universities primarily market themselves as helping students (merely) become career ready.” (09/24/25)
https://prosociallibertarians.substack.com/p/fixing-academia-marketing-its-real
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36) Is Trump Getting Nervous About His Drug-War Killings?
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“According to an article in the New York Times, draft legislation is circulating in Congress that would authorize President Trump and his military to use deadly force against people deemed to be narco-terrorists who are violating U.S. drug laws, as well as against countries that have aided or harbored such people. Is it Trump seeking such authorization because he is nervous about the potential consequences of having recently ordered the killing of several people on the high seas near Venezuela who were suspected of violating U.S. drug laws? After all, if Trump was legally authorized to summarily kill those people, as he claims, why would it be necessary to get congressional authorization to do so?” (09/24/25)
https://www.fff.org/2025/09/24/is-trump-getting-nervous-about-his-drug-war-killings/
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37) Poll shows Democrats STILL unpopular with voters on three major issues
Source: New York Post
by Henry Olsen
“Common wisdom holds that Democrats are likely to retake the House in next year’s midterms. Perhaps — that’s what history would suggest. But a recent poll shows that Republicans retain relative strength on important core issues. CNN’s Harry Enten summarized those data well in a recent appearance: Looking at the Washington Post/IPSOS poll, Enten found that Republicans retained a lead over Democrats on which party voters trust more to handle the economy, crime and immigration. The numbers aren’t close, either.” (09/23/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/09/23/opinion/poll-shows-democrats-still-unpopular-with-voters-on-three-major-issues/
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38) Rage Is Now the Machine
Source: Quillette
by George Case
“Political culture in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder on 10 September 2025 has followed a predictable pattern. There was the original sequence of discrete events (the shooting, the hunt for an assailant, the arrest of a suspect), followed by the volumes of public speculation, accusation, irreverence, and invective that crop up around them. Some of this arises spontaneously, but much of it is cultivated by platforms where outrage — about the news, about others’ offensive failure to be properly outraged by it, about the offensive outrage aimed at anyone who’s not outraged, and so on — is the main subject, and the main product.” (09/24/25)
https://quillette.com/2025/09/24/rage-is-now-the-machine-angertainment/
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39) How a little-known embassy aide hijacked US Israel policy
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Connor Echols
“David Milstein, top adviser to Amb. Mike Huckabee, has stoked a culture of fear at the State Department, current and former officials say.” (09/24/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/david-milstein-israel/
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40) What Does Iran Have to Do?
Source: The American Conservative
by Ted Snider
“As early as this upcoming Sunday, the E3 — the UK, France and Germany — will probably trigger the snapback clause of the shattered 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement with Iran. That means the economy and people of Iran will face the full weight of the sanctions the JCPOA promised to end. Though the snapback sanctions may succeed in what may be their true purpose, punishing Iran for not abandoning Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, they will fail in their aim of accomplishing a new nuclear deal with Iran.” (09/24/25)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/what-does-iran-have-to-do/
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41) Big Banks Behaving Badly
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“One Tuesday night in July 2023, Ron Luessen got contacted by a late-shift worker on the support team for Elcon, a construction firm in the Pacific Northwest. Luessen, an equipment manager, was off the clock, but he was the main point of contact, and the worker was puzzled. ‘We’re supposed to be working tonight, and this place is closed,’ Luessen recalled the message. ‘What do you want us to do?’ There wasn’t any reason for the building to be closed. Elcon was steadily busy, recently picking up business in Billings, Montana, beyond its base of operations in Seattle. The company had even just updated the kitchens. But the next day, around 120 Elcon employees got the official word: Don’t come in. After 42 years building bridges, highways, rail lines, airports, and basic infrastructure Americans use every day, Elcon was history.” (09/24/25)
https://prospect.org/economy/2025-09-24-big-banks-behaving-badly/
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42) It’s not the state’s job to manage kids’ screentime
Source: spiked
by Aaron Newbury
“Everyone agrees kids need to spend less time on screens. Parents complain, teachers despair and who doesn’t roll their eyes at the sight of an ‘iPad baby?’ But the idea that Whitehall can, or should, slap a daily screen-time ration on kids is absurd. It is yet another cringeworthy example of politicians mistaking themselves for substitute parents.” (09/24/25)
https://www.spiked-online.com/2025/09/24/its-not-the-states-job-to-manage-kids-screentime/
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43) The Problem With Arguing ‘They Did It to Us First’
Source: The Dispatch
by Jonah Goldberg
“[T]here’s a problem with the primary argument offered by Cruz, Shapiro, and others on the right in response to the administration’s heel turn on the First Amendment. And the problem is not that they’re wrong. Cruz and Shapiro are obviously correct to worry that a future Democratic administration could exploit the precedents Trump is laying down to target right-wing media. Indeed, many argue — correctly — that Trump is exploiting precedents laid down by the last Democratic administration. This is oft-repeated argument for retribution: ‘They did it to us first.’ Again, the problem with the ‘they did it to us first’ and the ‘they could do this to us later’ arguments — about censorship, but also ‘lawfare,’ congressional redistricting, etc. — is not that they’re wrong. It’s that they sidestep the wrongness of the deeds themselves.” (09/24/25)
https://thedispatch.com/article/cruz-shapiro-defend-first-amendment-trump/
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44) Charter schools on trial: Will Kentucky parents finally get a choice?
Source: Bluegrass Institute
by Jim Waters
“The contrast between supporters and opponents of expanding education freedom in Kentucky was starkly evident during the recent Kentucky Supreme Court hearing on the constitutionality of legislation funding public charter schools. On one side, the Council for Better Education (CBE) and the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) – whose members were appointed by Gov. Andy Beshear largely because of their opposition to parental empowerment – argued against allowing Kentuckians access to public charter schools, an option available in 44 other states, Washington, D.C., Guam and Puerto Rico. Control and money drive their arguments. They resent the autonomy of charter schools, including their independent boards’ ability to tailor curriculum, staffing and resources to meet students’ needs.” (09/23/25)
https://www.bluegrassinstitute.org/charter-schools-on-trial-will-kentucky-parents-finally-get-a-choice/
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45) Pritzker and Johnson: The New “Normal?”
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis
“Those of us who consider ourselves ‘normal’ human beings (believers in traditional, reasonable modes of human conduct — i.e., family, hard work, protection of property, concern for the well-being of others, decency, human dignity) we who hold to these traditional principles have become utterly appalled at what we have come to witness in about half of America today. We call the above ‘normal,’ but they aren’t ‘normal’ to many Americans anymore and ‘normality’ is no longer subject to any majority agreement in the country. For example, J. B. Pritzker and Brandon Johnson are extremely upset that President Trump wants to try to end the horrendous crime in Chicago. … How in the world could any decent human be opposed to stopping this barbarism?” (09/24/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2025/09/24/pritzker-and-johnson-the-new-normal-n2663864
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46) Knowledge & Ignorance In The 21st Century
Source: The Findings Substack
by Paul Rosenberg
“Since roughly 2005 nearly the whole of human knowledge has been available almost anywhere, any time, at a negligible cost, and yet almost nothing has changed. And so conventional wisdom regarding knowledge and ignorance, beliefs that dominated the 20th century, have been exposed as incorrect. To be clear, I should explain that the conventional wisdom I refer to is the assumption that problems are caused by ignorance, that more knowledge in more brains will fix them and that smart and educated people almost necessarily behave better.” (09/23/25)
https://thefindings.substack.com/p/knowledge-and-ignorance-in-the-21st
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47) What is the relationship between domination and exploitation?
Source: The Peaceful Revolutionist
by David S D’Amato
“Respect theories of exploitation claim that it is fundamentally about the failure to ‘treat exploitees with equal concern and respect.’ [Nicholas] Vrousalis says that the paradigm here, in addition to the feudal lord and the monopolist, is the rentier class and Piketty’s ‘‘patrimonial capitalist’ who gains from background unfairness.’ Such respect-based theories, as restated by Vrousalis, involve the Kantian worry about treating other people as mere means to your own ends, typically through the use of coercive force or some other kind of fundamental relational unfairness. It’s important to point out that while, for Vrousalis, respect theories don’t neatly reduce exploitation to force or coercion, this does not mean that they necessarily exclude these factors.” (09/23/25)
https://dsdamato.substack.com/p/what-is-the-relationship-between
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48) Why Is the American Experiment in Trouble? Simple: A Demagogue Has Ignited the “Dark Passions” of the People
Source: The UnPopulist
by Jonathan Rauch
“Liberalism’s real failure is that it assumes far too sunny a view of human nature, three recent books suggest.” (09/23/25)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/why-is-the-american-experiment-in
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49) Could a “Maximum Wage” Combat Billionaire Power?
Source: In These Times
by Celeste Pepitone-Nahas
“In the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, the power of the extremely wealthy over public policy has never been more evident. As Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has asserted, ‘Trump has … said it loudly and clearly: we are a government of billionaires.’ The troubling extent to which we are ruled by the rich is hardly debatable. The real question is: what can we do about it? One solution that has been proposed in the past is implementing a ‘maximum wage.’ Such a cap would limit the amount any individual can earn over a given period. There are a couple different ways that this limit could be accomplished. One way would be to use tax policy: We could simply levy a 100% tax rate on income over a particular level.” [editor’s note: I’ll leave the readers of this to comment on the sheer idiocy of penalizing productivity in this proposal – SAT] (09/23/25)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/maximum-wage-billionaire-ceos-economy-trump-inequality
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50) Why the Charlie Kirk Memorial Might Spell the End of Trump and MAGA
Source: Reason
by Nick Gillespie
“Speeches by the president, Stephen Miller, and Tucker Carlson will accelerate dislike of the president’s agenda.” (09/23/25)
https://reason.com/2025/09/23/why-the-charlie-kirk-memorial-might-spell-the-end-of-trump-and-maga/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Interview: Dan Krauss
Source: Reason
“How the U.S. Sold Its Longest War with a Bodyguard of Lies.” (09/24/25)
https://reason.com/podcast/2025/09/24/gillespie-krauss/
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52) The Political Orphanage, 09/24/25
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Why Europe is Poorer than America.” (09/24/25)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/why-europe-is-poorer-than-america
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53) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 09/24/25
Source: The New Republic
“Trump’s Angry, Unhinged Tirades at U.N. Rattle Experts: ‘Really Crazy.'” (09/24/25)
https://newrepublic.com/article/200841/trump-angry-unhinged-tirades-un-rattle-experts-really-crazy
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54) SolutionsWatch, 09/24/25
Source: The Corbett Report
“Escaping the Madhouse.” (09/24/25)
https://corbettreport.com/escaping-the-madhouse-solutionswatch/
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55) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 09/24/25
Source: The Dispatch
“You Know That I Know | Interview: Steven Pinker.” (09/24/25)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/you-know-that-i-know-interview-steven-pinker/
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56) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 09/24/25
Source: Antiwar.com
“Trump Says Ukraine Can Retake All Territory, Gaza Aid Flotilla Under Attack, and More.” (09/24/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30URhivUGb8
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57) Politics Politics Politics, 09/23/25
Source: Politics Politics Politics
“Is This Shutdown Guaranteed? Attending Charlie Kirk’s Memorial (with Claire Meynial).” (09/23/25)
https://www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/p/is-this-shutdown-guaranteed-attending
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58) Fountainhead Forum, episode 363
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Agustin Almada on Javier Milei and recent elections in Argentina.” (09/23/25)
https://rumble.com/v6ze0j4-ff-363-agustin-almada-on-javier-milei-and-recent-elections-in-argentina.html
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59) System Update, episode 520
Source: System Update
“Tucker Carlson on Charlie Kirk Assassination Fallout, Free Speech, Foreign Policy, and the Reaction to his Kirk Remarks.” (09/23/25)
https://rumble.com/v6zdjaw-system-update-show-520.html
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60) The Climate Realism Show, episode 174
Source: Heartland Institute
“Climate Realism Is HOT in the UK.” (09/23/25)
https://heartland.org/podcasts/climate-realism-is-hot-in-the-uk-the-climate-realism-show-174/
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61) Bulwark Takes, 09/23/25
Source: The Bulwark
“Barstool’s Kirk Minihane: The MAGA Right Can’t Take a Joke.” (09/23/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3GHIdMxdf4
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62) Free Speech Unmuted, 09/23/25
Source: Hoover Institution
“Kimmel, the FCC, and the Government’s Power Over Broadcast Speech | Eugene Volokh and Jane Bambauer.” (09/23/25)
https://free-speech-unmuted.podbean.com/e/kimmel-the-fcc-and-the-governments-power-over-broadcast-speech-eugene-volokh-and-jane-bambauer-hoover-institution/
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63) Underthrow Podcast, 09/23/25
Source: Underthrow
“How (Not) to Shrink the State with Matt Zwolinski.” (09/23/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_Gp4TzmcNg
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64) Nonzero, 09/23/25
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“Israel, Gaza, and Free Speech in America | Robert Wright & Glenn Loury.” (09/23/25)
https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/69023
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65) Trump Watch, 09/23/25
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“No Big Left-Right Political Divide in America.” (09/23/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PAeNv0e4G8
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