03/26 -- UAE: Two killed by interept debris as Israelis launch more Iran strikes; Government should expect no privacy
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Thomas L. Knapp
6:13 AM (10 hours ago) 6:13 AM
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 03/26/26
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Today's Freedom News:
1) UAE: Two killed by interept debris as Israelis launch more Iran strikes
2) Jury awards frivolous litigant $3 million of Meta’s, Google’s money
3) UK: Mullally enthroned as first female archbishop of Canterbury
4) Drones from Russian airspace allegedly hit Estonian and Latvian territory
5) Smith memo: Trump had classified docs shared with just six people, others tied to his business interests
6) Airbus wins Chinese airline’s 101-plane order in victory over Boeing in key market
7) SCOTUS tosses $1 billion copyright verdict in record companies’ battle over illegal internet downloads
8) WI: Man who ordered ballots without consent found guilty of fraud and identity theft
9) In landmark UN vote, Ghana demands compensation for slavery
10) Dog Bites Man: Pentagon Says It Will Ramp up Corporate Welfare to Arms Companies
11) NC: Top Republican in Senate concedes race decided by 23 votes
12) UK: Apple introduces age verification for iCloud accounts
13) Musketeer d’Artagnan’s remains believed found under Dutch church
14) Delta Air Lines temporarily halts perks for members of Congress, citing the partial government shutdown
15) Reuters/Ipsos poll: Trump’s approval hits new 36% low as fuel prices surge amid Iran war
16) Japan: Takaichi Asks IEA Chief for Further Oil Stockpile Release
17) UK: Regime bans crypto donations to political parties in bid to curb foreign influence
18) USDA cancels $300 million program to help farmers buy land amid anti-DEI push
19) Marcos promises “flow of oil” as Philippines declares energy emergency
20) Denmark: PM’s left-wing bloc wins vote but with no majority
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Government should expect no privacy
22) LLMs and SCOTUS
23) The Problem Isn’t “Kings;” the Problem Is US Presidents
24) Today’s Handmaidens of War
25) Free Speech for Me But Not For Thee
26) A morsel of mercy that might save Venezuela
27) Iran Can’t Accept Trump’s Absurd “Plan”
28) “From the river to the sea” is now a criminal offense for millions of Australians. Arrests are underway.
29) Every Debate On Pausing AI
30) How to Keep ICE Agents Out of Your Devices at Airports
31) Better Uses for the Money Pete Hegseth Wants to Throw at Trump’s Illegal Iran War
32) The Durable Appeal of Doom
33) US Sanctions on Venezuela Continue: Corporate Beneficiaries and a Targeted Society
34) We Did Win, Didn’t We?
35) Modern Tech Irrelevant
36) The Center Would Not Hold
37) Drive out wealth, then beg: Hochul’s New York in a nutshell
38) Why Adam Smith Embraced Commercial Society: The Wealth of Nations, Book 3
39) Gulf War I was a Pyrrhic victory that led to another avoidable war today
40) Early — and Painful — Lessons From the Iran War
41) Here’s the Proposed Deal to Fund Most of DHS
42) Donald Trump and Markwayne Mullin Insist That Politics Should Prevail Over Principle
43) The Real Lesson of the TSA Walkout
44) Protecting teens shouldn’t require permission to speak
45) TDS continues to fuel the left’s [sic] dangerous & misleading agenda
46) Uncle Don’s Thanksgiving Meltdown: Why We Don’t Need a President at All
47) “Permitless carry” — lies and truth
48) Democrats Should Own Free Trade, Not Just Oppose Trump’s Protectionism
49) The New Antifascist Consensus
50) Liberty, Entrepreneurship, and Nepal: Empowering Youth Through Freedom and Innovation
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Interview: Adam Carolla
52) Conversations with Coleman, 03/25/26
53) TAC Right Now, 03/25/26
54) The Briefing Podcast with Michael Waldman
55) The Political Orphanage, 03/25/26
56) Politico Playbook Audio Briefing, 03/25/26
57) Cato Daily Podcast, 03/24/26
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 03/24/26
59) The Bulwark Podcast, 03/24/26
60) Nonzero, 03/24/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) UAE: Two killed by interept debris as Israelis launch more Iran strikes
Source: New York Times
“Falling debris from a missile interception over the United Arab Emirates on Thursday killed two people, injured three others and damaged cars in Abu Dhabi, the authorities there said. The U.A.E.’s air defenses were responding to Iranian missiles and drones, the country’s defense ministry had said earlier. … The Israeli military said Thursday that it had launched more strikes on Iran, as Washington and Tehran struggled [sic] to start negotiations to end the war after nearly four weeks of fighting.” (03/26/26)
https://archive.is/CxYFz
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2) Jury awards frivolous litigant $3 million of Meta’s, Google’s money
Source: USA Today
“A jury has found Meta and Google liable for $3 million in damages [sic] on Wednesday, March 25 in a landmark trial over allegations that their popular social media apps, including Instagram and YouTube, are designed to get children addicted. The Los Angeles case centers on a 20-year-old woman, identified as Kaley G.M., who said she became addicted to Google’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram at a young age. The jury found Google and Meta were negligent in the design of both apps and failed to warn about their dangers [sic]. … Kaley G.M. alleged in the case that she became addicted to social media apps as a teenager because of their attention-grabbing design, in turn worsening her mental health, according to court filings.” (03/25/26)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2026/03/25/meta-google-trial-verdict/89067895007/
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3) UK: Mullally enthroned as first female archbishop of Canterbury
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Sarah Mullally has been formally installed as archbishop of Canterbury, marking the start of her public ministry as the first woman to lead the Church of England. The former nurse on Wednesday took her seat on the 13th-century Chair of St Augustine at Canterbury Cathedral before 2,000 guests that included heir to the British throne Prince William and his wife Catherine, as well as Prime Minister Keir Starmer and religious leaders. She will serve as the spiritual head of the global Anglican Communion, which has about 85 million members worldwide. … While Mullally’s appointment in October drew sharp criticism from the conservative Global Anglican Future Conference, made up largely of churches in Africa and Asia that oppose moves towards same-sex blessings and women’s leadership, the bloc this month abandoned earlier plans to appoint a parallel figurehead to rival Canterbury, opting instead to establish a new council.” (03/25/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/26/sarah-mullally-enthroned-as-first-female-archbishop-of-canterbury
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4) Drones from Russian airspace allegedly hit Estonian and Latvian territory
Source: euronews [EU]
“Drones coming from Russian airspace hit their territories, Latvian and Estonian authorities said on Wednesday. One drone ‘struck the chimney of the Auvere power plant’ in Estonia, the country’s internal security ISS said in a statement, while another fell on Latvian territory. The Auvere power plant, operated by the Enefit Power group, is located in northeastern Estonia, near the town of Narva on the Russian border. ‘These are the effects of Russia’s large-scale war of aggression,’ said ISS Director General Margo Palloson, expressing concern about ‘the occurrence of such incidents in the future.’ Prosecutors are supervising an investigation into the incident. Meanwhile, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina said in a post on X that the drone that fell on Latvian territory was apparently Ukrainian.” (03/25/26)
https://www.euronews.com/2026/03/25/russian-drone-strikes-estonia-power-plant-chimney-authorities-say
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5) Smith memo: Trump had classified docs shared with just six people, others tied to his business interests
Source: The Hill
“Among the classified records taken to Mar-a-Lago by President Trump were documents so sensitive that one had been distributed to just six people, while another set was relevant to his business interests. The disclosure, made to the House Judiciary Committee as part of its investigation into the probes into Trump, offers new details about the types of records the president took with him to Florida after losing the 2020 election. The public is still barred from seeing former special counsel Jack Smith’s report surrounding the investigation that prompted him to bring Espionage Act charges against Trump after 300 documents with classified markings were discovered at his Florida estate. … The Justice Department on Wednesday called [ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-MD)] ‘blinded by hatred of President Trump,’ and claimed without providing further details that the Smith memo contains ‘salacious and untrue claims about President Trump.'” (03/25/26)
https://thehill.com/homenews/5799507-trump-classified-documents-mar-a-lago-smith-memo/
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6) Airbus wins Chinese airline’s 101-plane order in victory over Boeing in key market
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“China Eastern Airlines said on Wednesday it placed a multibillion-dollar order for 101 Airbus A320neo aircraft, marking another success for the French company after it raked in big orders from Chinese airlines in December and amid uncertainties related to a widely speculated potential deal between its rival Boeing and Beijing. … Last year, Airbus secured orders for 148 A320 aircraft from several Chinese airlines and a state-owned aircraft leasing group. China Eastern was not part of that deal. While Airbus keeps taking in orders, the speculated Boeing deal has yet to materialise, with the delayed visit to China by US President Donald Trump adding more uncertainty.” (03/25/26)
https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347905/airbus-wins-chinese-airlines-101-plane-order-victory-over-boeing-key-market
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7) SCOTUS tosses $1 billion copyright verdict in record companies’ battle over illegal internet downloads
Source: Fox News
“The Supreme Court unanimously ruled Wednesday that internet providers are not liable for copyright infringement by their users, delivering an opinion in Cox v. Sony and tossing a $1 billion verdict. ‘Under our precedents, a company is not liable as a copyright infringer for merely providing a service to the public with knowledge that it will be used by some to infringe copyrights,’ Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in the opinion. ‘Accordingly, we reverse.’ The ruling marks a significant win for broadband providers facing pressure from copyright owners to police subscriber activity. Cox Communications now cannot be held liable for piracy by its internet service subscribers of songs owned by Sony Music, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and other labels, ending their billion-dollar-plus music copyright lawsuit.” (03/25/26)
https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/supreme-court-tosses-copyright-verdict-record-companies-battle-over-illegal-internet-downloads
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8) WI: Man who ordered ballots without consent found guilty of fraud and identity theft
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
“A jury convicted a Wisconsin man of election fraud and identity theft for requesting the ballots of Republican state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Democratic Racine Mayor Cory Mason without their consent. Jurors in Racine County on Tuesday found Harry Wait guilty of two misdemeanor election fraud charges and one felony identity theft charge following a two-day trial. He was acquitted of a second count of identity theft. Wait leads a group that makes false election claims, including that Wisconsin’s elections are riddled with fraud and that President Donald Trump won the 2020 election. Trump lost Wisconsin in 2020 by about 21,000 votes. Wait admitted in 2022 that he requested Vos’ and Mason’s ballots to try to prove that the state’s voter registration system is vulnerable to fraud.” (03/25/26)
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/03/25/wisconsin-ballot-fraud/
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9) In landmark UN vote, Ghana demands compensation for slavery
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Slavery was the ‘most horrendous crime that took place in the history of mankind,’ Ghana’s foreign minister has told the BBC ahead of a landmark vote at the UN General Assembly. Member states are set to vote on a resolution – led by Ghana — to recognise the transatlantic slave trade as ‘the gravest crime against humanity.’ The proposal urges UN member states to consider apologising for the slave trade and contributing to a reparations fund. The resolution is likely to face resistance, as countries like the UK have long rejected paying reparations, saying today’s institutions cannot be held responsible for past wrongs. But the proposal’s advocates, which include the African Union and the Caribbean Community, say it is a step towards healing and justice.” (03/25/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg06q36052o
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10) Dog Bites Man: Pentagon Says It Will Ramp up Corporate Welfare to Arms Companies
Source: US News & World Report
“The Pentagon said on Wednesday it had reached framework agreements with BAE, Lockheed and Honeywell to boost production of defense systems and munitions as part of its shift to ‘wartime footing.’ … The announcements come more than three weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel launched a war on Iran.” (03/25/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-03-25/pentagon-says-it-will-ramp-up-war-supplies-with-defense-companies
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11) NC: Top Republican in Senate concedes race decided by 23 votes
Source: Fox News
“Top Republican in the North Carolina Senate Phil Berger conceded his GOP primary race Tuesday after a second recount left him behind by a mere 23 votes, ending Berger’s long hold on the Triad-area seat and setting up a leadership shake-up in a key battleground state. ‘While this was a close race, the voters have spoken, and I congratulate Sheriff Page on his victory,’ Berger wrote in a statement Tuesday after the results of the second recount confirmed Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page won the District 26 race. ‘Over the past 15 years, Republicans in the General Assembly have fundamentally redefined our state’s outlook and reputation. It has been an honor to play a role in that transformation.’ Berger’s defeat is a major upset in North Carolina politics, particularly after President Donald Trump had endorsed him and fellow state Republicans had reportedly urged Page to end the primary challenge.” (03/25/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/top-republican-north-carolina-senate-concedes-race-decided-23-votes
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12) UK: Apple introduces age verification for iCloud accounts
Source: Engadget
“Apple has introduced more than just new features, like an AI playlist generator, with iOS 26.4 in the UK. The company now requires users in the region to verify their ages and to prove they’re 18 years old or above before they can access ‘certain services or features, or take certain actions on their account.’ Users can verify their ages in Settings by linking a credit card to their account or scanning an ID. For people who’ve had an Apple account for a while, the company will check if they already have a payment method on file that can prove they’re of age. The company says it will automatically switch on its Web Content Filter and Communication Safety features for everyone under 18 and for those who haven’t verified their ages.” (03/25/26)
https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-introduces-age-verification-for-icloud-accounts-in-the-uk-115340237.html
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13) Musketeer d’Artagnan’s remains believed found under Dutch church
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“More than 350 years after the death of legendary French musketeer d’Artagnan, remains have been found under the floor of a Dutch church that may well have been his. Jos Valke, who is deacon at St Peter and Paul Church in Maastricht, helped unearth the skeleton and is 99% certain that the remains belong to Charles de Batz de Castelmore, a close aide to France’s Sun King Louis XIV who was known as Count d’Artagnan. D’Artagnan was killed during the Siege of Maastricht in 1673, but later immortalised in the adventure stories of Alexandre Dumas as a friend of the Three Musketeers. His remains were long rumoured to have been buried in the church but no evidence has been found until now.” (03/25/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2rew2dgzzo
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14) Delta Air Lines temporarily halts perks for members of Congress, citing the partial government shutdown
Source: Business Insider
“Members of Congress may have to wait in line at the TSA checkpoint alongside everyone else if they fly with Delta. Delta Air Lines said on Tuesday that it has temporarily halted special airport services for members of Congress and their staff, including premium offerings such as terminal escorts that expedite security checks and its ‘red coat’ customer service assistance. ‘Due to the impact on resources from the longstanding government shutdown, Delta will temporarily suspend specialty services to members of Congress flying Delta,’ a spokesperson for the airline said.” (03/24/26)
https://www.businessinsider.com/delta-air-lines-suspends-perks-for-congress-government-shutdown-2026-3
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15) Reuters/Ipsos poll: Trump’s approval hits new 36% low as fuel prices surge amid Iran war
Source: Reuters
“Americans’ views on Trump soured significantly with regard to his stewardship over the cost of living, as gasoline prices have surged since the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran. US President Donald Trump’s approval rating fell in recent days to its lowest point since he returned to the White House, hit by a surge in fuel prices and widespread disapproval of the war he launched on Iran, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. The four-day poll, which closed on Monday, showed 36% of Americans approve of Trump’s job performance, down from 40% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last week. Americans’ views on Trump soured significantly with regard to his stewardship over the cost of living, as gasoline prices have surged since the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran on February 28. Just 25% of respondents approved of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, an issue that was at the center of his 2024 presidential election campaign.” (03/25/26)
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-approval-hits-new-36-low-fuel-prices-surge-amid-iran-war-reutersipsos-2026-03-24/
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16) Japan: Takaichi Asks IEA Chief for Further Oil Stockpile Release
Source: US News & World Report
“Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi asked International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol for an additional coordinated release of oil stockpiles when they met on Wednesday, as Tokyo seeks to hedge against a prolonged Middle East conflict. After agreeing to release a record amount of oil stockpiles in coordination with the IEA to cover for the Middle East supply loss, Takaichi on Tuesday said Japan would also open up joint oil stockpiles co-owned by producing nations in the country. … There are 45 Japan-related ships that are still stranded in the Gulf as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, said Hitoshi Nagasawa, chairman of the Japan Shipowners’ Association and also head of Japan’s NYK Group, one of the world’s largest shipping companies, on Wednesday.” (03/25/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-03-25/japan-pm-takaichi-asks-iea-chief-for-further-oil-stockpile-release
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17) UK: Regime bans crypto donations to political parties in bid to curb foreign influence
Source: SFGate
“British political parties will be banned from accepting donations in cryptocurrencies, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Wednesday, saying illicit finance poses a ‘stark’ danger to the country’s democracy. Starmer told lawmakers that ‘we will act decisively to protect our democracy’ from outside meddling. ‘That will include a moratorium on all political donations made through cryptocurrencies,’ he said during the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session in the House of Commons. The move could be a financial blow to the hard-right party Reform UK. The party led by Nigel Farage is one of the few in Britain to accept cryptocurrency donations. The government also said it will put an annual cap of 100,000 pounds ($134,000) on donations by British voters living abroad. Reform has received 12 million pounds in the past year from Christopher Harborne, a British businessman based in Thailand, according to Electoral Commission figures.” (03/25/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/uk-bans-crypto-donations-to-political-parties-in-22096105.php
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18) USDA cancels $300 million program to help farmers buy land amid anti-DEI push
Source: Politico
“The Agriculture Department is cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in funding from a program aimed at helping farmers buy and retain land, three people familiar with the decision confirmed to POLITICO on Tuesday. … Nonprofits, tribal governments and other organizations applied for the funding to address land access issues for underserved farmers — including access to capital, market expansions, succession planning and efforts to prevent land loss. The projects were especially targeted to address land access issues facing [b]lack farmers, immigrant farmers, [i]ndigenous farmers, veterans and other underrepresented groups. According to one of the cancellation letters shared with POLITICO, USDA determined that the program ‘involved discriminatory preferences based on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’ as well as ‘wasteful spending.'” (03/24/26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/24/usda-cancels-program-help-farmers-buy-land-00841948
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19) Marcos promises “flow of oil” as Philippines declares energy emergency
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos says he is working to secure new sources of oil after he placed the country under a state of national energy emergency in response to the war in Iran. Marcos told Filipinos in a televised address that the government would procure one million barrels of oil to add to the current stock, which is good for 45 days. ‘We will have a flow of oil. Not just one delivery, not two deliveries, but a flow of oil-related products,’ he said. The Philippines, which imports 98% of its oil from the gulf, became the first country to declare an energy emergency after local diesel and petrol prices more than doubled in the country since the war broke out on 28 February. The US-Israel war with Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz – a key shipping route – have sent shock waves through global energy markets, causing shortages and price rises.” (03/25/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3ex8ez3717o
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20) Denmark: PM’s left-wing bloc wins vote but with no majority
Source: Deutsche Welle [German state media]
“Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s hopes for a third term were further complicated on Tuesday, with her left-wing bloc winning the election yet failing to secure a majority. The bloc, which includes the Social Democrats, the center-right Venstre and Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen’s Moderates, took 84 seats in Denmark’s 179-seat parliament. The right secured 77 seats, official results showed. Rasmussen’s party became kingmaker with 14 seats, setting the stage for thorny negotiations as the winners strive to build a coalition government. … Her Social Democrat party had been bolstered with Frederiksen having rebuffed Trump’s threat to take control of Greenland, an island in the Arctic Ocean that is a semi-autonomous territory controlled by Denmark. But Tuesday’s vote represents the worst result for the Social Democrats since the start of the last century, sinking to 21.9%. That’s dramatic fall from the 27.5% they won in the last election in 2022.” (03/24/26)
https://www.dw.com/en/danish-pms-left-wing-bloc-wins-vote-but-with-no-majority/a-76498223
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Government should expect no privacy
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“Privacy is important. Not because you have anything to hide, but because it’s no one’s business. Otherwise, let’s get rid of restroom doors, curtains, or anything else that might shield our activities from everyone else’s eyes. Companies that help government spy on people are doing wrong. Digital ID. Flock cameras. Age verification. TSA scanners. Government’s co-conspirators are not the good guys. Not all surveillance is a bad thing, though. You should know everything about anyone who holds a government office. At the same time, they shouldn’t be able to learn anything about you. As long as those offices are allowed to exist — and they shouldn’t be — the standard should be that while you hold any government job, your life is an open book.” (03/25/26)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2026/03/25/voices/opinion-government-should-expect-no-privacy/233080.html
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22) LLMs and SCOTUS
Source: Bet On It
“Once you acknowledge the truism that AI output is speech, almost all regulation of AI is ipso facto illegal. Government has no more legal right to regulate AI than it has to regulate the New York Times. Even if you’re a convinced doomer, you have to admit that the danger of existing LLMs is not ‘clear and present,’ much less ‘imminent.’ If the Supreme Court has an iota of consistency, the AI industry will be able — barring an anti-AI amendment to the Constitution — to fend off virtually all regulation with ease. Does the Supreme Court have an iota of consistency? Based on past performance, the jury is still out.” (03/25/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/llms-and-scotus
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23) The Problem Isn’t “Kings;” the Problem Is US Presidents
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“There’s another giant ‘No Kings’ protest scheduled for this weekend, and right now all I can think about is how disgusting it is that this is the closest thing to a mass-scale antiwar protest in the United States right now. The problem with the ‘No Kings’ protests is right there in the title. They’re saying ‘We don’t want a king, we want a president!’ But Donald Trump is not a king. He is a president. And that’s the real problem: US presidents are extremely evil men who do extremely evil things. Donald Trump is a US president who is doing US president things. US presidents consistently murder people with unforgivable acts of mass military violence, mistreat immigrants and marginalized communities, and promote tyranny for the benefit of corrupting special interests in defense of the US empire and the capitalist status quo. That’s what their job is.” (03/25/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/03/25/the-problem-isnt-kings-the-problem-is-us-presidents/
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24) Today’s Handmaidens of War
Source: The American Conservative
by Kelley Beaucar Vlahos
“This is not a partisan affair. Experts in military strategy, regional history, and current power dynamics in the Middle East — as well as American politics and geoeconomics — are struggling to make sense of the U.S.–Israel war launched on February 28 and warn that its escalatory spiral is spinning out of control. But just like when the bloom was off the rose in late 2003, when the insurgencies and sectarian violence started emerging in Iraq and it was becoming clear that the Bush administration had no plan for ‘what’s next,’ the cheerleaders and shills are rushing to battle stations today to do everything to maintain some sort of rationalization for the disaster unfolding right before our eyes. This time, these messaging force-multipliers, tied directly or otherwise to the political and military machinery behind this war, shouldn’t get off so easily.” (03/25/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/todays-handmaidens-of-war/
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25) Free Speech for Me But Not For Thee
Source: Antiwar.com
by Andrew P Napolitano
“Last week, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission threatened to rescind the broadcast licenses of media entities that do not relate events in Iran or Ukraine as the Trump administration would like them to be related. He also attacked The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times for the same reasons. This followed by one day a verbal attack on CNN by the Secretary of Defense who made known his bitter unhappiness with CNN’s coverage of the Iran war. Yet, CNN is not regulated by the FCC, which only regulates broadcast media — not cable or streaming; and newspapers, thanks be to God, are totally unregulated. So, what’s going on here? What’s going on is chilling.” (03/25/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2026/03/24/free-speech-for-me-but-not-for-thee-2
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26) A morsel of mercy that might save Venezuela
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“Many nations that have emerged from internal conflict – Rwanda, Colombia, Indonesia, to name a few – have anchored their national reconciliations in acts of mercy. In its own peculiar way, Venezuela might now join this group, nearly three months after the United States removed its dictator, Nicolás Maduro, by force and charged him with narcoterrorism and drug trafficking. Most of Mr. Maduro’s colleagues remain in power in a deal made with U.S. President Donald Trump in the name of stability and a sharing of oil wealth. Yet the regime has also begun releasing political prisoners – just how many is in dispute. … Many of the political prisoners violated no law, or at least none based on democratic rights. And the proceedings for their release from prison are conducted in front of judges tied closely to the regime.” (03/24/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0324/A-morsel-of-mercy-that-might-save-Venezuela
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27) Iran Can’t Accept Trump’s Absurd “Plan”
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“If the reported details are correct, the so-called plan includes many of the same unrealistic and maximalist demands that the administration has been making for the last year. It was based on the U.S. proposal from 2025 before the June war. It is hard to see why Iran would agree to such terms now when their government has more leverage than it had before. Strange as it may seem, the Iranian government is negotiating from a stronger position because of the war and the ensuing economic shock. If there is ever an agreement between the U.S. and Iran in the future, it will likely be on more favorable terms for Iran than if the war had never happened.” (03/25/26)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/iran-cant-accept-trumps-absurd-plan
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28) “From the river to the sea” is now a criminal offense for millions of Australians. Arrests are underway.
Source: Expression
by Sarah McLaughlin
“Two protesters were arrested on the first day of Queensland’s ban on the slogan ‘From the river to the sea.’ Authorities enforced the restriction as part of new rules regulating protest speech related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which also cover the chant ‘globalize the intifada.’ Offenders could face up to two years in prison. The first protester arrested was Liam Parry from Students for Palestine, who spoke at a march against the law outside the state parliament house. Parry reportedly gave a talk about the phrase, disputed the claim that it was antisemitic, and ‘discouraged others from chanting the slogan.’ Another protester was arrested for wearing a shirt with the message ‘From the river to the sea.” (03/25/26)
https://expression.fire.org/p/from-the-river-to-the-sea-is-now
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29) Every Debate On Pausing AI
Source: Astral Codex Ten
by Scott Alexander
“SUPPORTER: America needs to start talking to China to come up with a bilateral agreement to pause AI. The agreement would need to be transparent, mutually enforceable, and … OPPONENT: We can’t unilaterally pause AI! China would destroy us! SUPPORTER: As I said, we need to start negotiating a bilateral agreement so that both sides will … OPPONENT: You fool! Don’t you know that while we unilaterally pause AI, China will be racing ahead and using their lead to erode our fundamental rights and freedoms? How could you be so naive!” (03/25/26)
https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/every-debate-on-pausing-ai
-----
30) How to Keep ICE Agents Out of Your Devices at Airports
Source: The Intercept
by Nikita Mazurov
“The only surefire way to keep your devices from being searched and seized is to simply not bring them with you on your trip. If you can’t leave them at home, consider mailing them to and from your destination. Another option is to leave devices that contain sensitive information at home and instead bring throwaway travel devices you’re willing to have searched or confiscated. This doesn’t need to be an expensive proposition. You can reformat and repurpose an old phone or tablet, or purchase refurbished older models that are comparatively cheap. Then buy a temporary SIM card or eSIM so that you’re not using your usual number. Remember to let contacts know that for the duration of your trip you’ll be reachable at a different number. Create a travel account for these devices.” (03/25/26)
https://theintercept.com/2026/03/25/ice-airports-phone-security-privacy-safety/
-----
31) Better Uses for the Money Pete Hegseth Wants to Throw at Trump’s Illegal Iran War
Source: OtherWords
by Lindsay Koshgarian
“Secretary of War Pete Hegseth would rather use your tax dollars to bomb Iranian families than feed American families. That’s the upshot of news that Hegseth is prepared to request $200 billion in funding for the Pentagon’s new war on Iran. That’s far higher than earlier reports that put the request at $50 billion or $100 billion. And all of these astounding sums would come on top of the $1 trillion already budgeted for the Pentagon, itself a record. It should be clear: Funding this unjust, unpopular, and illegal war comes directly at the expense of ordinary Americans.” [editor’s note: And so would the cost of funding all the “social programs” the author recommends. How about cutting out ALL that spending instead of stealing the money? – TLK](03/25/26)
https://otherwords.org/our-tax-dollars-should-be-funding-our-communities-not-trumps-war/
-----
32) The Durable Appeal of Doom
Source: Mindset Shifts
by Barry Brownstein
“The hateful logic of the Nazis is find your villain and assign all blame to them, then the complexity of the world collapses into a satisfying and murderous solution. Nazis logic did not die with the Third Reich. Paul Ehrlich passed away earlier this month, at 93, and his passing is an occasion to examine another expression of the same underlying habit of mind. Ehrlich was not an antisemite. His villain was humanity itself. … What makes Ehrlich’s life so instructive is not that he was wrong — he was wrong in ways almost beyond reckoning — but that his wrongness was so elaborately rewarded.” (03/25/26)
https://mindsetshifts.substack.com/p/the-durable-appeal-of-doom
-----
33) US Sanctions on Venezuela Continue: Corporate Beneficiaries and a Targeted Society
Source: Common Dreams
by Roger D Harris
“In the wake of Washington’s January 3 military attack and then problematic détente with Caracas, corporate media suggest a meaningful shift in Venezuela policy, implying relief for a country long subjected to economic coercion. However, far from dismantling the sanctions regime, the US has merely adjusted its application through licensing mechanisms, leaving the core structure of coercive measures fully intact. Reuters reported, ‘US lifts some Venezuela sanctions,’ followed by news of sanctions being further ‘eased.’ … Not a Single Sanction Has Been Rescinded.” (03/25/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/venezuela-sanctions-continue
-----
34) We Did Win, Didn’t We?
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Charles Goyette
“‘We’ve won. Let me tell you, we’ve won. You know, you never like to say too early you won. We won. We won the – in the first hour it was over. We won,’ President Donald Trump declared, claiming ‘we won’ five times in just thirteen seconds at a Kentucky rally on March 11. We’ve seen such misbegotten braggadocio before. Six weeks into the elective invasion of Iraq, President George W. Bush starred in a campaign stunt when he landed on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier wearing a flight suit. He stood under a ‘Mission Accomplished’ banner ordered up and paid for by White House spinmeisters. It was the ‘end of major combat operations,’ Bush said. Only it wasn’t.” (03/25/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/we-did-win-didnt-we
-----
35) Modern Tech Irrelevant
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“‘I’ve never been more pleased by ‘losing’ in my life,’ tweeted Jay Bhattacharya. What makes the Director of the National Institutes of Health a ‘loser?’ Well, the doctor (who also serves as current Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control) has not always served in the federal government. In his days between Trump administrations he’d run afoul of censors on social media. Now he’s jubilant that a major case against censorship has come to a freedom-of-speech conclusion.” (03/25/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/03/25/modern-tech-irrelevant/
-----
36) The Center Would Not Hold
Source: Law & Liberty
by Eddie Larow
“America is more fragmented and polarized than since the Civil War. More and more Americans are seeking refuge in the arms of movements seeking to upend the status quo. The center of the political world is losing more and more as the extremes offer alternatives and possible solutions to economic and cultural issues. Lest we think this is unique, history has a way of reminding us that something has already happened. The more our polarization grows, the more it seems that we are living in the Weimarization of America. This is not to say that America is becoming Germany, but instead that there is a dissatisfaction with the system that is similar to Germany on the cusp of the rise of Hitler.” (03/25/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/the-center-would-not-hold/
-----
37) Drive out wealth, then beg: Hochul’s New York in a nutshell
Source: Fox News
by Steve Forbes
“New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s recent plea for wealthy residents to return to the Empire State reveals more than she likely intended. When a state’s chief executive effectively says, ‘We need your money,’ it’s not a sign of strength, it’s an admission that the model is broken. Her plea to well-to-do former residents comes across as a comedy skit: New York is already overtaxed and overregulated, but please come back as we are in the process of enacting higher taxes and imposing more anti-growth regulations. For years, New York has operated under the illusion that ever-higher taxes and ever-expanding government services can coexist with economic dynamism. That illusion is now colliding with reality.” (03/25/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/steve-forbes-drive-out-wealth-then-beg-hochuls-new-york-nutshell
-----
38) Why Adam Smith Embraced Commercial Society: The Wealth of Nations, Book 3
Source: EconLog
by Dennis C Rasmussen
“Much of Book 3 is dedicated to a historical account of how and why the feudal order that prevailed throughout Europe for many centuries eventually gave way to a liberal, commercial order—that is, how a world dominated by hierarchy, dependence, and intrastate conflict was superseded by one in which the rule of law reigned and people enjoyed comparative freedom and safety. Smith’s account of how the feudal lords squandered their immense power for the sake of frivolous luxuries has become a famous one.” 903/25/26)
https://www.econlib.org/library/columns/y2026/rasmussen-wn250-3
-----
39) Gulf War I was a Pyrrhic victory that led to another avoidable war today
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Martin Di Caro
“This is a story of the unintended consequences of a Pyrrhic victory celebrated 35 years ago as a history-making triumph. As the U.S. fights its latest war in the Persian Gulf — this time against Iran, the country that benefited most from Saddam Hussein’s demise — it’s a good moment to reflect on Operation Desert Storm. That intervention now appears to have been an avoidable war that set the United States on a disastrous course from which it has failed to extricate itself. What seemed like a clean victory in 1991 has turned into a strategic quagmire.” (03/25/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/persian-gulf-war-iran/
-----
40) Early — and Painful — Lessons From the Iran War
Source: The Dispatch
by Jonah Goldberg
“The Trump administration has been obsessed with maximizing the president’s war powers to justify his agenda on such things as industrial policy, immigration, domestic deployment of the National Guard, and, most glaringly, trade. But now, when we’re actually at war, officials are reversing their economic philosophy in service to Trump’s seat-of-the-pants decision-making. Trump’s trade policies are exactly what the great 19th-century economist Henry George had in mind when he warned, ‘What protectionism teaches us, is to do to ourselves in time of peace what enemies seek to do to us in time of war.’ What’s so strange is that Trump is turning George on his head by easing economic pressure on our wartime enemy. But he’s also reversing his own biases by liberating our domestic economy.” (03/25/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/iran-war-economy/
-----
41) Here’s the Proposed Deal to Fund Most of DHS
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“The very quiet shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security got louder in the past week as lines outside TSA airport security checkpoints grew to tremendous lengths. … Congress seemed to get really interested once Delta suspended its special service that allowed members of the House and Senate to skip security lines. Funny how that works. The framework of the emerging deal was on the table before the shutdown even began. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced a bill in February to fund other parts of DHS, but not ICE or Customs and Border Protection (CBP), while negotiations continued. What’s being discussed in the Senate would go further: Every agency in DHS, including CBP, would get funding except for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), the entity that finds and detains people. Republicans would then seek to fund ERO as part of a broader budget reconciliation bill on a party-line vote.” (03/25/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/03/25/congress-proposed-deal-fund-department-homeland-security-ice-cbp-trump-save-act/
-----
42) Donald Trump and Markwayne Mullin Insist That Politics Should Prevail Over Principle
Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum
“The president and his new DHS secretary are enraged by jurists and legislators who refuse to toe the party line.” (03/25/26)
https://reason.com/2026/03/25/trump-and-mullin-insist-that-politics-should-prevail-over-principle/
-----
43) The Real Lesson of the TSA Walkout
Source: The Daily Economy
by Per Bylund
“The TSA has a long history of failing to such a degree that it could never survive had it not been run by and within the government. Costing taxpayers and travelers $10 billion annually, not counting the inconvenience and time lost, the agency fails even on its own terms. The failure rate in 2015 was over 90 percent. The same in 2017. If these data seem dated, it is because they are. Instead of fixing the problems, the results of the agency’s internal testing were classified. In the absence of data, the only reasonable interpretation is that the agency remains a catastrophic failure to this day. The recent airport chaos stresses how the security theater has become an unbearable bottleneck. It also stresses how dysfunctional government services become problematic beyond the waste of resources and the inconveniences they cause.” (03/25/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-real-lesson-of-the-tsa-walkout/
-----
44) Protecting teens shouldn’t require permission to speak
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Zoe Armbruster
“Across the United States, teenagers freely express themselves online. But that freedom is rapidly being restricted, and make no mistake: this doesn’t just end with teens. What is often portrayed as a youth mental health issue is really a battle for everyone’s online speech rights.” (03/24/26)
https://www.fire.org/news/protecting-teens-shouldnt-require-permission-speak
-----
45) TDS continues to fuel the left’s [sic] dangerous & misleading agenda
Source: New York Post
by Michael Goodwin
“When the term ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ was coined, the words carried a hint of gallows humor. But as time passed and insane behavior by the president’s opponents became widely embedded in key people and institutions, any whiff of humor faded into history. Especially during a time of war with a deadly, fanatical enemy, an irrational hatred of our commander-in-chief by powerful Americans is not a laughing matter. All the more so when the infected include the top Democrat in Washington and the editors of America’s largest newspaper. Revealing scenarios in recent days that involve Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and the New York Times illustrate how hatred of the president has distorted their judgments and undercut their patriotism.” (03/24/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/03/24/opinion/michael-goodwin-trump-derangement-syndrome-continues-to-fuel-the-lefts-dangerous-and-misleading-agenda/
-----
46) Uncle Don’s Thanksgiving Meltdown: Why We Don’t Need a President at All
Source: International Guild of Professional Anarchists
by Alexander Snitker
“Donald Trump’s latest outbursts, taunts, and diplomatic clown shows don’t just prove he’s unfit for the office. They prove the office itself is too dangerous to exist.” (03/24/26)
https://alexandersnitker.substack.com/p/uncle-dons-thanksgiving-meltdown
-----
47) “Permitless carry” — lies and truth
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton
“The majority of states have Constitutional carry, and we find that there has been NO increase in crime. In fact, the opposite is true. Gun Control increases crime. More Gun Control equals more crime. Like it or not, carry permits, background checks, gun specific taxes and training requirements, all are Gun Control. All of these are Gov’t imposed attacks on firearms freedoms of people. Citizens or not, people are born with the RIGHT to keep and bear arms.” (03/24/26)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/03/24/permitless-carry-lies-and-truth/
-----
48) Democrats Should Own Free Trade, Not Just Oppose Trump’s Protectionism
Source: The UnPopulist
by Tibita Kaneene
“For too long, American populists on the left and right have treated globalism — the free flow of goods, capital, and people across borders — as a concession to corporate interests, a system to apologize for rather than promote. That defensiveness has become a trap: facing Trump’s assault on the principles of free and open trade, Democrats are pushing back, but on tactical grounds rather than making a full, principled case for free trade. Tariffs raise prices for everyone, reduce employment and output, and weaken the democratic alliances Democrats claim to cherish. In failing to make the principled case against tariffs, Democrats cede the language of economic openness to the very forces dismantling it.” (03/24/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/democrats-should-own-free-trade-not
-----
49) The New Antifascist Consensus
Source: In These Times
by Shane Burley
“Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg, like hundreds of other residents and organizers in the Twin Cities, now keeps a strict schedule — at least every other day — of long volunteer patrols for vehicles driven by federal immigration agents occupying the region. In about two and a half months, thousands of agents unleashed wanton violence across the country as they abduct an average of more than 60 residents per day; shooting, killing and firing chemical weapons at nonviolent protesters, and extrajudicially arrest preschoolers and send them across the country. Things have been hard, but neighborhoods have also become more united and communication has become systematized and effective. ’The day-to-day experiences [are] of being exhausted and having your nervous system very jacked,’ Rosenberg said.” (03/24/26)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/the-new-antifascist-consensus-ice-rapid-response-community-defense
-----
50) Liberty, Entrepreneurship, and Nepal: Empowering Youth Through Freedom and Innovation
Source: Liberty International
by Chike Ibewuike
“On March 13, 2026, our partners at the Language of Liberty Institute organized an awareness campaign and interactive discussion titled Liberty, Entrepreneurship, and Nepal at Birgunj Public College in Madhesh Province. The three-hour event brought together bachelor-level students from diverse academic backgrounds to explore the relationship between liberty, economic freedom, and entrepreneurship—with a particular focus on youth empowerment in Nepal. In today’s global economy, entrepreneurship plays a central role in driving innovation, economic growth, and job creation. But entrepreneurship does not emerge in isolation — it flourishes in environments where individuals enjoy freedom of thought, open markets, and the ability to experiment without excessive constraints. Recognizing this, the event aimed to introduce participants to the concept of liberal entrepreneurship, which emphasizes individual initiative, creativity, and economic freedom as key pillars of development.” (03/24/26)
https://liberty-intl.org/2026/03/25/liberty-entrepreneurship-and-nepal-empowering-youth-through-freedom-and-innovation/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Interview: Adam Carolla
Source: Reason
“Why No One Under 30 Trusts Legacy Media.” (03/25/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/03/25/adam-carolla-why-no-one-under-30-trusts-legacy-media/
-----
52) Conversations with Coleman, 03/25/26
Source: Conversations with Coleman
“Glenn Greenwald vs. Coleman Hughes Debate: Does Israel Control U.S. Foreign Policy?” (03/25/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEvJQoowZUI
-----
53) TAC Right Now, 03/25/26
Source: The American Conservative
“Iran and the New World Disorder.” (03/25/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/tac-right-now-iran-and-the-new-world-disorder/
-----
54) The Briefing Podcast with Michael Waldman
Source: Brennan Center for Justice
“How to Improve America’s Prisons (with L.B. Eisen and Randall Liberty).” (03/25/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC1GJi4vHOM
-----
55) The Political Orphanage, 03/25/26
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Parenting Behind Bars.” (03/25/26)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/parenting-behind-bars
-----
56) Politico Playbook Audio Briefing, 03/25/26
Source: Politico
“Democrats got more big wins on Tuesday night, flipping two legislative seats in reliably red Florida, including the district containing President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. The wins don’t dent Florida Republicans’ supermajority, but they mark more performances for Democrats that have defied expectations ahead of the pivotal midterm elections. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns discuss the warning signs for Republicans, and a notable Trump absence.” (03/25/26)
https://traffic.megaphone.fm/POLL7231637913.mp3
-----
57) Cato Daily Podcast, 03/24/26
Source: Cato Institute
“Surf, Speech, and Government Cartels.” (03/24/26)
https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-podcast/surf-speech-government-cartels
-----
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 03/24/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“US Airstrikes in Iraq Kill Senior PMF Commander, New Iran Security Chief Is Former IRGC, and More.” (03/24/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKnIcvs7pc8
-----
59) The Bulwark Podcast, 03/24/26
Source: The Bulwark
“Trump’s War Is Worse Than the Market Thinks (w/ Jeffrey Goldberg & Joe Weisenthal).” (03/24/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hpc_7lB4w44
-----
60) Nonzero, 03/24/26
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“Israel, America, and the Iran War | Robert Wright & Ron Kampeas.” (03/24/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTwjKGXM9xo
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Today's Freedom News:
1) UAE: Two killed by interept debris as Israelis launch more Iran strikes
2) Jury awards frivolous litigant $3 million of Meta’s, Google’s money
3) UK: Mullally enthroned as first female archbishop of Canterbury
4) Drones from Russian airspace allegedly hit Estonian and Latvian territory
5) Smith memo: Trump had classified docs shared with just six people, others tied to his business interests
6) Airbus wins Chinese airline’s 101-plane order in victory over Boeing in key market
7) SCOTUS tosses $1 billion copyright verdict in record companies’ battle over illegal internet downloads
8) WI: Man who ordered ballots without consent found guilty of fraud and identity theft
9) In landmark UN vote, Ghana demands compensation for slavery
10) Dog Bites Man: Pentagon Says It Will Ramp up Corporate Welfare to Arms Companies
11) NC: Top Republican in Senate concedes race decided by 23 votes
12) UK: Apple introduces age verification for iCloud accounts
13) Musketeer d’Artagnan’s remains believed found under Dutch church
14) Delta Air Lines temporarily halts perks for members of Congress, citing the partial government shutdown
15) Reuters/Ipsos poll: Trump’s approval hits new 36% low as fuel prices surge amid Iran war
16) Japan: Takaichi Asks IEA Chief for Further Oil Stockpile Release
17) UK: Regime bans crypto donations to political parties in bid to curb foreign influence
18) USDA cancels $300 million program to help farmers buy land amid anti-DEI push
19) Marcos promises “flow of oil” as Philippines declares energy emergency
20) Denmark: PM’s left-wing bloc wins vote but with no majority
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Government should expect no privacy
22) LLMs and SCOTUS
23) The Problem Isn’t “Kings;” the Problem Is US Presidents
24) Today’s Handmaidens of War
25) Free Speech for Me But Not For Thee
26) A morsel of mercy that might save Venezuela
27) Iran Can’t Accept Trump’s Absurd “Plan”
28) “From the river to the sea” is now a criminal offense for millions of Australians. Arrests are underway.
29) Every Debate On Pausing AI
30) How to Keep ICE Agents Out of Your Devices at Airports
31) Better Uses for the Money Pete Hegseth Wants to Throw at Trump’s Illegal Iran War
32) The Durable Appeal of Doom
33) US Sanctions on Venezuela Continue: Corporate Beneficiaries and a Targeted Society
34) We Did Win, Didn’t We?
35) Modern Tech Irrelevant
36) The Center Would Not Hold
37) Drive out wealth, then beg: Hochul’s New York in a nutshell
38) Why Adam Smith Embraced Commercial Society: The Wealth of Nations, Book 3
39) Gulf War I was a Pyrrhic victory that led to another avoidable war today
40) Early — and Painful — Lessons From the Iran War
41) Here’s the Proposed Deal to Fund Most of DHS
42) Donald Trump and Markwayne Mullin Insist That Politics Should Prevail Over Principle
43) The Real Lesson of the TSA Walkout
44) Protecting teens shouldn’t require permission to speak
45) TDS continues to fuel the left’s [sic] dangerous & misleading agenda
46) Uncle Don’s Thanksgiving Meltdown: Why We Don’t Need a President at All
47) “Permitless carry” — lies and truth
48) Democrats Should Own Free Trade, Not Just Oppose Trump’s Protectionism
49) The New Antifascist Consensus
50) Liberty, Entrepreneurship, and Nepal: Empowering Youth Through Freedom and Innovation
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Interview: Adam Carolla
52) Conversations with Coleman, 03/25/26
53) TAC Right Now, 03/25/26
54) The Briefing Podcast with Michael Waldman
55) The Political Orphanage, 03/25/26
56) Politico Playbook Audio Briefing, 03/25/26
57) Cato Daily Podcast, 03/24/26
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 03/24/26
59) The Bulwark Podcast, 03/24/26
60) Nonzero, 03/24/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) UAE: Two killed by interept debris as Israelis launch more Iran strikes
Source: New York Times
“Falling debris from a missile interception over the United Arab Emirates on Thursday killed two people, injured three others and damaged cars in Abu Dhabi, the authorities there said. The U.A.E.’s air defenses were responding to Iranian missiles and drones, the country’s defense ministry had said earlier. … The Israeli military said Thursday that it had launched more strikes on Iran, as Washington and Tehran struggled [sic] to start negotiations to end the war after nearly four weeks of fighting.” (03/26/26)
https://archive.is/CxYFz
-----
2) Jury awards frivolous litigant $3 million of Meta’s, Google’s money
Source: USA Today
“A jury has found Meta and Google liable for $3 million in damages [sic] on Wednesday, March 25 in a landmark trial over allegations that their popular social media apps, including Instagram and YouTube, are designed to get children addicted. The Los Angeles case centers on a 20-year-old woman, identified as Kaley G.M., who said she became addicted to Google’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram at a young age. The jury found Google and Meta were negligent in the design of both apps and failed to warn about their dangers [sic]. … Kaley G.M. alleged in the case that she became addicted to social media apps as a teenager because of their attention-grabbing design, in turn worsening her mental health, according to court filings.” (03/25/26)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2026/03/25/meta-google-trial-verdict/89067895007/
-----
3) UK: Mullally enthroned as first female archbishop of Canterbury
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Sarah Mullally has been formally installed as archbishop of Canterbury, marking the start of her public ministry as the first woman to lead the Church of England. The former nurse on Wednesday took her seat on the 13th-century Chair of St Augustine at Canterbury Cathedral before 2,000 guests that included heir to the British throne Prince William and his wife Catherine, as well as Prime Minister Keir Starmer and religious leaders. She will serve as the spiritual head of the global Anglican Communion, which has about 85 million members worldwide. … While Mullally’s appointment in October drew sharp criticism from the conservative Global Anglican Future Conference, made up largely of churches in Africa and Asia that oppose moves towards same-sex blessings and women’s leadership, the bloc this month abandoned earlier plans to appoint a parallel figurehead to rival Canterbury, opting instead to establish a new council.” (03/25/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/26/sarah-mullally-enthroned-as-first-female-archbishop-of-canterbury
-----
4) Drones from Russian airspace allegedly hit Estonian and Latvian territory
Source: euronews [EU]
“Drones coming from Russian airspace hit their territories, Latvian and Estonian authorities said on Wednesday. One drone ‘struck the chimney of the Auvere power plant’ in Estonia, the country’s internal security ISS said in a statement, while another fell on Latvian territory. The Auvere power plant, operated by the Enefit Power group, is located in northeastern Estonia, near the town of Narva on the Russian border. ‘These are the effects of Russia’s large-scale war of aggression,’ said ISS Director General Margo Palloson, expressing concern about ‘the occurrence of such incidents in the future.’ Prosecutors are supervising an investigation into the incident. Meanwhile, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina said in a post on X that the drone that fell on Latvian territory was apparently Ukrainian.” (03/25/26)
https://www.euronews.com/2026/03/25/russian-drone-strikes-estonia-power-plant-chimney-authorities-say
-----
5) Smith memo: Trump had classified docs shared with just six people, others tied to his business interests
Source: The Hill
“Among the classified records taken to Mar-a-Lago by President Trump were documents so sensitive that one had been distributed to just six people, while another set was relevant to his business interests. The disclosure, made to the House Judiciary Committee as part of its investigation into the probes into Trump, offers new details about the types of records the president took with him to Florida after losing the 2020 election. The public is still barred from seeing former special counsel Jack Smith’s report surrounding the investigation that prompted him to bring Espionage Act charges against Trump after 300 documents with classified markings were discovered at his Florida estate. … The Justice Department on Wednesday called [ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-MD)] ‘blinded by hatred of President Trump,’ and claimed without providing further details that the Smith memo contains ‘salacious and untrue claims about President Trump.'” (03/25/26)
https://thehill.com/homenews/5799507-trump-classified-documents-mar-a-lago-smith-memo/
-----
6) Airbus wins Chinese airline’s 101-plane order in victory over Boeing in key market
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“China Eastern Airlines said on Wednesday it placed a multibillion-dollar order for 101 Airbus A320neo aircraft, marking another success for the French company after it raked in big orders from Chinese airlines in December and amid uncertainties related to a widely speculated potential deal between its rival Boeing and Beijing. … Last year, Airbus secured orders for 148 A320 aircraft from several Chinese airlines and a state-owned aircraft leasing group. China Eastern was not part of that deal. While Airbus keeps taking in orders, the speculated Boeing deal has yet to materialise, with the delayed visit to China by US President Donald Trump adding more uncertainty.” (03/25/26)
https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347905/airbus-wins-chinese-airlines-101-plane-order-victory-over-boeing-key-market
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7) SCOTUS tosses $1 billion copyright verdict in record companies’ battle over illegal internet downloads
Source: Fox News
“The Supreme Court unanimously ruled Wednesday that internet providers are not liable for copyright infringement by their users, delivering an opinion in Cox v. Sony and tossing a $1 billion verdict. ‘Under our precedents, a company is not liable as a copyright infringer for merely providing a service to the public with knowledge that it will be used by some to infringe copyrights,’ Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in the opinion. ‘Accordingly, we reverse.’ The ruling marks a significant win for broadband providers facing pressure from copyright owners to police subscriber activity. Cox Communications now cannot be held liable for piracy by its internet service subscribers of songs owned by Sony Music, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and other labels, ending their billion-dollar-plus music copyright lawsuit.” (03/25/26)
https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/supreme-court-tosses-copyright-verdict-record-companies-battle-over-illegal-internet-downloads
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8) WI: Man who ordered ballots without consent found guilty of fraud and identity theft
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
“A jury convicted a Wisconsin man of election fraud and identity theft for requesting the ballots of Republican state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Democratic Racine Mayor Cory Mason without their consent. Jurors in Racine County on Tuesday found Harry Wait guilty of two misdemeanor election fraud charges and one felony identity theft charge following a two-day trial. He was acquitted of a second count of identity theft. Wait leads a group that makes false election claims, including that Wisconsin’s elections are riddled with fraud and that President Donald Trump won the 2020 election. Trump lost Wisconsin in 2020 by about 21,000 votes. Wait admitted in 2022 that he requested Vos’ and Mason’s ballots to try to prove that the state’s voter registration system is vulnerable to fraud.” (03/25/26)
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/03/25/wisconsin-ballot-fraud/
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9) In landmark UN vote, Ghana demands compensation for slavery
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Slavery was the ‘most horrendous crime that took place in the history of mankind,’ Ghana’s foreign minister has told the BBC ahead of a landmark vote at the UN General Assembly. Member states are set to vote on a resolution – led by Ghana — to recognise the transatlantic slave trade as ‘the gravest crime against humanity.’ The proposal urges UN member states to consider apologising for the slave trade and contributing to a reparations fund. The resolution is likely to face resistance, as countries like the UK have long rejected paying reparations, saying today’s institutions cannot be held responsible for past wrongs. But the proposal’s advocates, which include the African Union and the Caribbean Community, say it is a step towards healing and justice.” (03/25/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg06q36052o
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10) Dog Bites Man: Pentagon Says It Will Ramp up Corporate Welfare to Arms Companies
Source: US News & World Report
“The Pentagon said on Wednesday it had reached framework agreements with BAE, Lockheed and Honeywell to boost production of defense systems and munitions as part of its shift to ‘wartime footing.’ … The announcements come more than three weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel launched a war on Iran.” (03/25/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-03-25/pentagon-says-it-will-ramp-up-war-supplies-with-defense-companies
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11) NC: Top Republican in Senate concedes race decided by 23 votes
Source: Fox News
“Top Republican in the North Carolina Senate Phil Berger conceded his GOP primary race Tuesday after a second recount left him behind by a mere 23 votes, ending Berger’s long hold on the Triad-area seat and setting up a leadership shake-up in a key battleground state. ‘While this was a close race, the voters have spoken, and I congratulate Sheriff Page on his victory,’ Berger wrote in a statement Tuesday after the results of the second recount confirmed Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page won the District 26 race. ‘Over the past 15 years, Republicans in the General Assembly have fundamentally redefined our state’s outlook and reputation. It has been an honor to play a role in that transformation.’ Berger’s defeat is a major upset in North Carolina politics, particularly after President Donald Trump had endorsed him and fellow state Republicans had reportedly urged Page to end the primary challenge.” (03/25/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/top-republican-north-carolina-senate-concedes-race-decided-23-votes
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12) UK: Apple introduces age verification for iCloud accounts
Source: Engadget
“Apple has introduced more than just new features, like an AI playlist generator, with iOS 26.4 in the UK. The company now requires users in the region to verify their ages and to prove they’re 18 years old or above before they can access ‘certain services or features, or take certain actions on their account.’ Users can verify their ages in Settings by linking a credit card to their account or scanning an ID. For people who’ve had an Apple account for a while, the company will check if they already have a payment method on file that can prove they’re of age. The company says it will automatically switch on its Web Content Filter and Communication Safety features for everyone under 18 and for those who haven’t verified their ages.” (03/25/26)
https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-introduces-age-verification-for-icloud-accounts-in-the-uk-115340237.html
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13) Musketeer d’Artagnan’s remains believed found under Dutch church
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“More than 350 years after the death of legendary French musketeer d’Artagnan, remains have been found under the floor of a Dutch church that may well have been his. Jos Valke, who is deacon at St Peter and Paul Church in Maastricht, helped unearth the skeleton and is 99% certain that the remains belong to Charles de Batz de Castelmore, a close aide to France’s Sun King Louis XIV who was known as Count d’Artagnan. D’Artagnan was killed during the Siege of Maastricht in 1673, but later immortalised in the adventure stories of Alexandre Dumas as a friend of the Three Musketeers. His remains were long rumoured to have been buried in the church but no evidence has been found until now.” (03/25/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2rew2dgzzo
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14) Delta Air Lines temporarily halts perks for members of Congress, citing the partial government shutdown
Source: Business Insider
“Members of Congress may have to wait in line at the TSA checkpoint alongside everyone else if they fly with Delta. Delta Air Lines said on Tuesday that it has temporarily halted special airport services for members of Congress and their staff, including premium offerings such as terminal escorts that expedite security checks and its ‘red coat’ customer service assistance. ‘Due to the impact on resources from the longstanding government shutdown, Delta will temporarily suspend specialty services to members of Congress flying Delta,’ a spokesperson for the airline said.” (03/24/26)
https://www.businessinsider.com/delta-air-lines-suspends-perks-for-congress-government-shutdown-2026-3
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15) Reuters/Ipsos poll: Trump’s approval hits new 36% low as fuel prices surge amid Iran war
Source: Reuters
“Americans’ views on Trump soured significantly with regard to his stewardship over the cost of living, as gasoline prices have surged since the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran. US President Donald Trump’s approval rating fell in recent days to its lowest point since he returned to the White House, hit by a surge in fuel prices and widespread disapproval of the war he launched on Iran, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. The four-day poll, which closed on Monday, showed 36% of Americans approve of Trump’s job performance, down from 40% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last week. Americans’ views on Trump soured significantly with regard to his stewardship over the cost of living, as gasoline prices have surged since the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran on February 28. Just 25% of respondents approved of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, an issue that was at the center of his 2024 presidential election campaign.” (03/25/26)
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-approval-hits-new-36-low-fuel-prices-surge-amid-iran-war-reutersipsos-2026-03-24/
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16) Japan: Takaichi Asks IEA Chief for Further Oil Stockpile Release
Source: US News & World Report
“Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi asked International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol for an additional coordinated release of oil stockpiles when they met on Wednesday, as Tokyo seeks to hedge against a prolonged Middle East conflict. After agreeing to release a record amount of oil stockpiles in coordination with the IEA to cover for the Middle East supply loss, Takaichi on Tuesday said Japan would also open up joint oil stockpiles co-owned by producing nations in the country. … There are 45 Japan-related ships that are still stranded in the Gulf as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, said Hitoshi Nagasawa, chairman of the Japan Shipowners’ Association and also head of Japan’s NYK Group, one of the world’s largest shipping companies, on Wednesday.” (03/25/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-03-25/japan-pm-takaichi-asks-iea-chief-for-further-oil-stockpile-release
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17) UK: Regime bans crypto donations to political parties in bid to curb foreign influence
Source: SFGate
“British political parties will be banned from accepting donations in cryptocurrencies, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Wednesday, saying illicit finance poses a ‘stark’ danger to the country’s democracy. Starmer told lawmakers that ‘we will act decisively to protect our democracy’ from outside meddling. ‘That will include a moratorium on all political donations made through cryptocurrencies,’ he said during the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session in the House of Commons. The move could be a financial blow to the hard-right party Reform UK. The party led by Nigel Farage is one of the few in Britain to accept cryptocurrency donations. The government also said it will put an annual cap of 100,000 pounds ($134,000) on donations by British voters living abroad. Reform has received 12 million pounds in the past year from Christopher Harborne, a British businessman based in Thailand, according to Electoral Commission figures.” (03/25/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/uk-bans-crypto-donations-to-political-parties-in-22096105.php
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18) USDA cancels $300 million program to help farmers buy land amid anti-DEI push
Source: Politico
“The Agriculture Department is cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in funding from a program aimed at helping farmers buy and retain land, three people familiar with the decision confirmed to POLITICO on Tuesday. … Nonprofits, tribal governments and other organizations applied for the funding to address land access issues for underserved farmers — including access to capital, market expansions, succession planning and efforts to prevent land loss. The projects were especially targeted to address land access issues facing [b]lack farmers, immigrant farmers, [i]ndigenous farmers, veterans and other underrepresented groups. According to one of the cancellation letters shared with POLITICO, USDA determined that the program ‘involved discriminatory preferences based on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’ as well as ‘wasteful spending.'” (03/24/26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/24/usda-cancels-program-help-farmers-buy-land-00841948
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19) Marcos promises “flow of oil” as Philippines declares energy emergency
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos says he is working to secure new sources of oil after he placed the country under a state of national energy emergency in response to the war in Iran. Marcos told Filipinos in a televised address that the government would procure one million barrels of oil to add to the current stock, which is good for 45 days. ‘We will have a flow of oil. Not just one delivery, not two deliveries, but a flow of oil-related products,’ he said. The Philippines, which imports 98% of its oil from the gulf, became the first country to declare an energy emergency after local diesel and petrol prices more than doubled in the country since the war broke out on 28 February. The US-Israel war with Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz – a key shipping route – have sent shock waves through global energy markets, causing shortages and price rises.” (03/25/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3ex8ez3717o
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20) Denmark: PM’s left-wing bloc wins vote but with no majority
Source: Deutsche Welle [German state media]
“Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s hopes for a third term were further complicated on Tuesday, with her left-wing bloc winning the election yet failing to secure a majority. The bloc, which includes the Social Democrats, the center-right Venstre and Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen’s Moderates, took 84 seats in Denmark’s 179-seat parliament. The right secured 77 seats, official results showed. Rasmussen’s party became kingmaker with 14 seats, setting the stage for thorny negotiations as the winners strive to build a coalition government. … Her Social Democrat party had been bolstered with Frederiksen having rebuffed Trump’s threat to take control of Greenland, an island in the Arctic Ocean that is a semi-autonomous territory controlled by Denmark. But Tuesday’s vote represents the worst result for the Social Democrats since the start of the last century, sinking to 21.9%. That’s dramatic fall from the 27.5% they won in the last election in 2022.” (03/24/26)
https://www.dw.com/en/danish-pms-left-wing-bloc-wins-vote-but-with-no-majority/a-76498223
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Government should expect no privacy
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“Privacy is important. Not because you have anything to hide, but because it’s no one’s business. Otherwise, let’s get rid of restroom doors, curtains, or anything else that might shield our activities from everyone else’s eyes. Companies that help government spy on people are doing wrong. Digital ID. Flock cameras. Age verification. TSA scanners. Government’s co-conspirators are not the good guys. Not all surveillance is a bad thing, though. You should know everything about anyone who holds a government office. At the same time, they shouldn’t be able to learn anything about you. As long as those offices are allowed to exist — and they shouldn’t be — the standard should be that while you hold any government job, your life is an open book.” (03/25/26)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2026/03/25/voices/opinion-government-should-expect-no-privacy/233080.html
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22) LLMs and SCOTUS
Source: Bet On It
“Once you acknowledge the truism that AI output is speech, almost all regulation of AI is ipso facto illegal. Government has no more legal right to regulate AI than it has to regulate the New York Times. Even if you’re a convinced doomer, you have to admit that the danger of existing LLMs is not ‘clear and present,’ much less ‘imminent.’ If the Supreme Court has an iota of consistency, the AI industry will be able — barring an anti-AI amendment to the Constitution — to fend off virtually all regulation with ease. Does the Supreme Court have an iota of consistency? Based on past performance, the jury is still out.” (03/25/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/llms-and-scotus
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23) The Problem Isn’t “Kings;” the Problem Is US Presidents
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“There’s another giant ‘No Kings’ protest scheduled for this weekend, and right now all I can think about is how disgusting it is that this is the closest thing to a mass-scale antiwar protest in the United States right now. The problem with the ‘No Kings’ protests is right there in the title. They’re saying ‘We don’t want a king, we want a president!’ But Donald Trump is not a king. He is a president. And that’s the real problem: US presidents are extremely evil men who do extremely evil things. Donald Trump is a US president who is doing US president things. US presidents consistently murder people with unforgivable acts of mass military violence, mistreat immigrants and marginalized communities, and promote tyranny for the benefit of corrupting special interests in defense of the US empire and the capitalist status quo. That’s what their job is.” (03/25/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/03/25/the-problem-isnt-kings-the-problem-is-us-presidents/
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24) Today’s Handmaidens of War
Source: The American Conservative
by Kelley Beaucar Vlahos
“This is not a partisan affair. Experts in military strategy, regional history, and current power dynamics in the Middle East — as well as American politics and geoeconomics — are struggling to make sense of the U.S.–Israel war launched on February 28 and warn that its escalatory spiral is spinning out of control. But just like when the bloom was off the rose in late 2003, when the insurgencies and sectarian violence started emerging in Iraq and it was becoming clear that the Bush administration had no plan for ‘what’s next,’ the cheerleaders and shills are rushing to battle stations today to do everything to maintain some sort of rationalization for the disaster unfolding right before our eyes. This time, these messaging force-multipliers, tied directly or otherwise to the political and military machinery behind this war, shouldn’t get off so easily.” (03/25/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/todays-handmaidens-of-war/
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25) Free Speech for Me But Not For Thee
Source: Antiwar.com
by Andrew P Napolitano
“Last week, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission threatened to rescind the broadcast licenses of media entities that do not relate events in Iran or Ukraine as the Trump administration would like them to be related. He also attacked The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times for the same reasons. This followed by one day a verbal attack on CNN by the Secretary of Defense who made known his bitter unhappiness with CNN’s coverage of the Iran war. Yet, CNN is not regulated by the FCC, which only regulates broadcast media — not cable or streaming; and newspapers, thanks be to God, are totally unregulated. So, what’s going on here? What’s going on is chilling.” (03/25/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2026/03/24/free-speech-for-me-but-not-for-thee-2
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26) A morsel of mercy that might save Venezuela
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“Many nations that have emerged from internal conflict – Rwanda, Colombia, Indonesia, to name a few – have anchored their national reconciliations in acts of mercy. In its own peculiar way, Venezuela might now join this group, nearly three months after the United States removed its dictator, Nicolás Maduro, by force and charged him with narcoterrorism and drug trafficking. Most of Mr. Maduro’s colleagues remain in power in a deal made with U.S. President Donald Trump in the name of stability and a sharing of oil wealth. Yet the regime has also begun releasing political prisoners – just how many is in dispute. … Many of the political prisoners violated no law, or at least none based on democratic rights. And the proceedings for their release from prison are conducted in front of judges tied closely to the regime.” (03/24/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0324/A-morsel-of-mercy-that-might-save-Venezuela
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27) Iran Can’t Accept Trump’s Absurd “Plan”
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“If the reported details are correct, the so-called plan includes many of the same unrealistic and maximalist demands that the administration has been making for the last year. It was based on the U.S. proposal from 2025 before the June war. It is hard to see why Iran would agree to such terms now when their government has more leverage than it had before. Strange as it may seem, the Iranian government is negotiating from a stronger position because of the war and the ensuing economic shock. If there is ever an agreement between the U.S. and Iran in the future, it will likely be on more favorable terms for Iran than if the war had never happened.” (03/25/26)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/iran-cant-accept-trumps-absurd-plan
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28) “From the river to the sea” is now a criminal offense for millions of Australians. Arrests are underway.
Source: Expression
by Sarah McLaughlin
“Two protesters were arrested on the first day of Queensland’s ban on the slogan ‘From the river to the sea.’ Authorities enforced the restriction as part of new rules regulating protest speech related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which also cover the chant ‘globalize the intifada.’ Offenders could face up to two years in prison. The first protester arrested was Liam Parry from Students for Palestine, who spoke at a march against the law outside the state parliament house. Parry reportedly gave a talk about the phrase, disputed the claim that it was antisemitic, and ‘discouraged others from chanting the slogan.’ Another protester was arrested for wearing a shirt with the message ‘From the river to the sea.” (03/25/26)
https://expression.fire.org/p/from-the-river-to-the-sea-is-now
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29) Every Debate On Pausing AI
Source: Astral Codex Ten
by Scott Alexander
“SUPPORTER: America needs to start talking to China to come up with a bilateral agreement to pause AI. The agreement would need to be transparent, mutually enforceable, and … OPPONENT: We can’t unilaterally pause AI! China would destroy us! SUPPORTER: As I said, we need to start negotiating a bilateral agreement so that both sides will … OPPONENT: You fool! Don’t you know that while we unilaterally pause AI, China will be racing ahead and using their lead to erode our fundamental rights and freedoms? How could you be so naive!” (03/25/26)
https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/every-debate-on-pausing-ai
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30) How to Keep ICE Agents Out of Your Devices at Airports
Source: The Intercept
by Nikita Mazurov
“The only surefire way to keep your devices from being searched and seized is to simply not bring them with you on your trip. If you can’t leave them at home, consider mailing them to and from your destination. Another option is to leave devices that contain sensitive information at home and instead bring throwaway travel devices you’re willing to have searched or confiscated. This doesn’t need to be an expensive proposition. You can reformat and repurpose an old phone or tablet, or purchase refurbished older models that are comparatively cheap. Then buy a temporary SIM card or eSIM so that you’re not using your usual number. Remember to let contacts know that for the duration of your trip you’ll be reachable at a different number. Create a travel account for these devices.” (03/25/26)
https://theintercept.com/2026/03/25/ice-airports-phone-security-privacy-safety/
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31) Better Uses for the Money Pete Hegseth Wants to Throw at Trump’s Illegal Iran War
Source: OtherWords
by Lindsay Koshgarian
“Secretary of War Pete Hegseth would rather use your tax dollars to bomb Iranian families than feed American families. That’s the upshot of news that Hegseth is prepared to request $200 billion in funding for the Pentagon’s new war on Iran. That’s far higher than earlier reports that put the request at $50 billion or $100 billion. And all of these astounding sums would come on top of the $1 trillion already budgeted for the Pentagon, itself a record. It should be clear: Funding this unjust, unpopular, and illegal war comes directly at the expense of ordinary Americans.” [editor’s note: And so would the cost of funding all the “social programs” the author recommends. How about cutting out ALL that spending instead of stealing the money? – TLK](03/25/26)
https://otherwords.org/our-tax-dollars-should-be-funding-our-communities-not-trumps-war/
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32) The Durable Appeal of Doom
Source: Mindset Shifts
by Barry Brownstein
“The hateful logic of the Nazis is find your villain and assign all blame to them, then the complexity of the world collapses into a satisfying and murderous solution. Nazis logic did not die with the Third Reich. Paul Ehrlich passed away earlier this month, at 93, and his passing is an occasion to examine another expression of the same underlying habit of mind. Ehrlich was not an antisemite. His villain was humanity itself. … What makes Ehrlich’s life so instructive is not that he was wrong — he was wrong in ways almost beyond reckoning — but that his wrongness was so elaborately rewarded.” (03/25/26)
https://mindsetshifts.substack.com/p/the-durable-appeal-of-doom
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33) US Sanctions on Venezuela Continue: Corporate Beneficiaries and a Targeted Society
Source: Common Dreams
by Roger D Harris
“In the wake of Washington’s January 3 military attack and then problematic détente with Caracas, corporate media suggest a meaningful shift in Venezuela policy, implying relief for a country long subjected to economic coercion. However, far from dismantling the sanctions regime, the US has merely adjusted its application through licensing mechanisms, leaving the core structure of coercive measures fully intact. Reuters reported, ‘US lifts some Venezuela sanctions,’ followed by news of sanctions being further ‘eased.’ … Not a Single Sanction Has Been Rescinded.” (03/25/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/venezuela-sanctions-continue
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34) We Did Win, Didn’t We?
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Charles Goyette
“‘We’ve won. Let me tell you, we’ve won. You know, you never like to say too early you won. We won. We won the – in the first hour it was over. We won,’ President Donald Trump declared, claiming ‘we won’ five times in just thirteen seconds at a Kentucky rally on March 11. We’ve seen such misbegotten braggadocio before. Six weeks into the elective invasion of Iraq, President George W. Bush starred in a campaign stunt when he landed on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier wearing a flight suit. He stood under a ‘Mission Accomplished’ banner ordered up and paid for by White House spinmeisters. It was the ‘end of major combat operations,’ Bush said. Only it wasn’t.” (03/25/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/we-did-win-didnt-we
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35) Modern Tech Irrelevant
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“‘I’ve never been more pleased by ‘losing’ in my life,’ tweeted Jay Bhattacharya. What makes the Director of the National Institutes of Health a ‘loser?’ Well, the doctor (who also serves as current Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control) has not always served in the federal government. In his days between Trump administrations he’d run afoul of censors on social media. Now he’s jubilant that a major case against censorship has come to a freedom-of-speech conclusion.” (03/25/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/03/25/modern-tech-irrelevant/
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36) The Center Would Not Hold
Source: Law & Liberty
by Eddie Larow
“America is more fragmented and polarized than since the Civil War. More and more Americans are seeking refuge in the arms of movements seeking to upend the status quo. The center of the political world is losing more and more as the extremes offer alternatives and possible solutions to economic and cultural issues. Lest we think this is unique, history has a way of reminding us that something has already happened. The more our polarization grows, the more it seems that we are living in the Weimarization of America. This is not to say that America is becoming Germany, but instead that there is a dissatisfaction with the system that is similar to Germany on the cusp of the rise of Hitler.” (03/25/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/the-center-would-not-hold/
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37) Drive out wealth, then beg: Hochul’s New York in a nutshell
Source: Fox News
by Steve Forbes
“New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s recent plea for wealthy residents to return to the Empire State reveals more than she likely intended. When a state’s chief executive effectively says, ‘We need your money,’ it’s not a sign of strength, it’s an admission that the model is broken. Her plea to well-to-do former residents comes across as a comedy skit: New York is already overtaxed and overregulated, but please come back as we are in the process of enacting higher taxes and imposing more anti-growth regulations. For years, New York has operated under the illusion that ever-higher taxes and ever-expanding government services can coexist with economic dynamism. That illusion is now colliding with reality.” (03/25/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/steve-forbes-drive-out-wealth-then-beg-hochuls-new-york-nutshell
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38) Why Adam Smith Embraced Commercial Society: The Wealth of Nations, Book 3
Source: EconLog
by Dennis C Rasmussen
“Much of Book 3 is dedicated to a historical account of how and why the feudal order that prevailed throughout Europe for many centuries eventually gave way to a liberal, commercial order—that is, how a world dominated by hierarchy, dependence, and intrastate conflict was superseded by one in which the rule of law reigned and people enjoyed comparative freedom and safety. Smith’s account of how the feudal lords squandered their immense power for the sake of frivolous luxuries has become a famous one.” 903/25/26)
https://www.econlib.org/library/columns/y2026/rasmussen-wn250-3
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39) Gulf War I was a Pyrrhic victory that led to another avoidable war today
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Martin Di Caro
“This is a story of the unintended consequences of a Pyrrhic victory celebrated 35 years ago as a history-making triumph. As the U.S. fights its latest war in the Persian Gulf — this time against Iran, the country that benefited most from Saddam Hussein’s demise — it’s a good moment to reflect on Operation Desert Storm. That intervention now appears to have been an avoidable war that set the United States on a disastrous course from which it has failed to extricate itself. What seemed like a clean victory in 1991 has turned into a strategic quagmire.” (03/25/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/persian-gulf-war-iran/
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40) Early — and Painful — Lessons From the Iran War
Source: The Dispatch
by Jonah Goldberg
“The Trump administration has been obsessed with maximizing the president’s war powers to justify his agenda on such things as industrial policy, immigration, domestic deployment of the National Guard, and, most glaringly, trade. But now, when we’re actually at war, officials are reversing their economic philosophy in service to Trump’s seat-of-the-pants decision-making. Trump’s trade policies are exactly what the great 19th-century economist Henry George had in mind when he warned, ‘What protectionism teaches us, is to do to ourselves in time of peace what enemies seek to do to us in time of war.’ What’s so strange is that Trump is turning George on his head by easing economic pressure on our wartime enemy. But he’s also reversing his own biases by liberating our domestic economy.” (03/25/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/iran-war-economy/
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41) Here’s the Proposed Deal to Fund Most of DHS
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“The very quiet shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security got louder in the past week as lines outside TSA airport security checkpoints grew to tremendous lengths. … Congress seemed to get really interested once Delta suspended its special service that allowed members of the House and Senate to skip security lines. Funny how that works. The framework of the emerging deal was on the table before the shutdown even began. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced a bill in February to fund other parts of DHS, but not ICE or Customs and Border Protection (CBP), while negotiations continued. What’s being discussed in the Senate would go further: Every agency in DHS, including CBP, would get funding except for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), the entity that finds and detains people. Republicans would then seek to fund ERO as part of a broader budget reconciliation bill on a party-line vote.” (03/25/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/03/25/congress-proposed-deal-fund-department-homeland-security-ice-cbp-trump-save-act/
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42) Donald Trump and Markwayne Mullin Insist That Politics Should Prevail Over Principle
Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum
“The president and his new DHS secretary are enraged by jurists and legislators who refuse to toe the party line.” (03/25/26)
https://reason.com/2026/03/25/trump-and-mullin-insist-that-politics-should-prevail-over-principle/
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43) The Real Lesson of the TSA Walkout
Source: The Daily Economy
by Per Bylund
“The TSA has a long history of failing to such a degree that it could never survive had it not been run by and within the government. Costing taxpayers and travelers $10 billion annually, not counting the inconvenience and time lost, the agency fails even on its own terms. The failure rate in 2015 was over 90 percent. The same in 2017. If these data seem dated, it is because they are. Instead of fixing the problems, the results of the agency’s internal testing were classified. In the absence of data, the only reasonable interpretation is that the agency remains a catastrophic failure to this day. The recent airport chaos stresses how the security theater has become an unbearable bottleneck. It also stresses how dysfunctional government services become problematic beyond the waste of resources and the inconveniences they cause.” (03/25/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-real-lesson-of-the-tsa-walkout/
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44) Protecting teens shouldn’t require permission to speak
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Zoe Armbruster
“Across the United States, teenagers freely express themselves online. But that freedom is rapidly being restricted, and make no mistake: this doesn’t just end with teens. What is often portrayed as a youth mental health issue is really a battle for everyone’s online speech rights.” (03/24/26)
https://www.fire.org/news/protecting-teens-shouldnt-require-permission-speak
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45) TDS continues to fuel the left’s [sic] dangerous & misleading agenda
Source: New York Post
by Michael Goodwin
“When the term ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ was coined, the words carried a hint of gallows humor. But as time passed and insane behavior by the president’s opponents became widely embedded in key people and institutions, any whiff of humor faded into history. Especially during a time of war with a deadly, fanatical enemy, an irrational hatred of our commander-in-chief by powerful Americans is not a laughing matter. All the more so when the infected include the top Democrat in Washington and the editors of America’s largest newspaper. Revealing scenarios in recent days that involve Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and the New York Times illustrate how hatred of the president has distorted their judgments and undercut their patriotism.” (03/24/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/03/24/opinion/michael-goodwin-trump-derangement-syndrome-continues-to-fuel-the-lefts-dangerous-and-misleading-agenda/
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46) Uncle Don’s Thanksgiving Meltdown: Why We Don’t Need a President at All
Source: International Guild of Professional Anarchists
by Alexander Snitker
“Donald Trump’s latest outbursts, taunts, and diplomatic clown shows don’t just prove he’s unfit for the office. They prove the office itself is too dangerous to exist.” (03/24/26)
https://alexandersnitker.substack.com/p/uncle-dons-thanksgiving-meltdown
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47) “Permitless carry” — lies and truth
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton
“The majority of states have Constitutional carry, and we find that there has been NO increase in crime. In fact, the opposite is true. Gun Control increases crime. More Gun Control equals more crime. Like it or not, carry permits, background checks, gun specific taxes and training requirements, all are Gun Control. All of these are Gov’t imposed attacks on firearms freedoms of people. Citizens or not, people are born with the RIGHT to keep and bear arms.” (03/24/26)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/03/24/permitless-carry-lies-and-truth/
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48) Democrats Should Own Free Trade, Not Just Oppose Trump’s Protectionism
Source: The UnPopulist
by Tibita Kaneene
“For too long, American populists on the left and right have treated globalism — the free flow of goods, capital, and people across borders — as a concession to corporate interests, a system to apologize for rather than promote. That defensiveness has become a trap: facing Trump’s assault on the principles of free and open trade, Democrats are pushing back, but on tactical grounds rather than making a full, principled case for free trade. Tariffs raise prices for everyone, reduce employment and output, and weaken the democratic alliances Democrats claim to cherish. In failing to make the principled case against tariffs, Democrats cede the language of economic openness to the very forces dismantling it.” (03/24/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/democrats-should-own-free-trade-not
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49) The New Antifascist Consensus
Source: In These Times
by Shane Burley
“Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg, like hundreds of other residents and organizers in the Twin Cities, now keeps a strict schedule — at least every other day — of long volunteer patrols for vehicles driven by federal immigration agents occupying the region. In about two and a half months, thousands of agents unleashed wanton violence across the country as they abduct an average of more than 60 residents per day; shooting, killing and firing chemical weapons at nonviolent protesters, and extrajudicially arrest preschoolers and send them across the country. Things have been hard, but neighborhoods have also become more united and communication has become systematized and effective. ’The day-to-day experiences [are] of being exhausted and having your nervous system very jacked,’ Rosenberg said.” (03/24/26)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/the-new-antifascist-consensus-ice-rapid-response-community-defense
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50) Liberty, Entrepreneurship, and Nepal: Empowering Youth Through Freedom and Innovation
Source: Liberty International
by Chike Ibewuike
“On March 13, 2026, our partners at the Language of Liberty Institute organized an awareness campaign and interactive discussion titled Liberty, Entrepreneurship, and Nepal at Birgunj Public College in Madhesh Province. The three-hour event brought together bachelor-level students from diverse academic backgrounds to explore the relationship between liberty, economic freedom, and entrepreneurship—with a particular focus on youth empowerment in Nepal. In today’s global economy, entrepreneurship plays a central role in driving innovation, economic growth, and job creation. But entrepreneurship does not emerge in isolation — it flourishes in environments where individuals enjoy freedom of thought, open markets, and the ability to experiment without excessive constraints. Recognizing this, the event aimed to introduce participants to the concept of liberal entrepreneurship, which emphasizes individual initiative, creativity, and economic freedom as key pillars of development.” (03/24/26)
https://liberty-intl.org/2026/03/25/liberty-entrepreneurship-and-nepal-empowering-youth-through-freedom-and-innovation/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Interview: Adam Carolla
Source: Reason
“Why No One Under 30 Trusts Legacy Media.” (03/25/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/03/25/adam-carolla-why-no-one-under-30-trusts-legacy-media/
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52) Conversations with Coleman, 03/25/26
Source: Conversations with Coleman
“Glenn Greenwald vs. Coleman Hughes Debate: Does Israel Control U.S. Foreign Policy?” (03/25/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEvJQoowZUI
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53) TAC Right Now, 03/25/26
Source: The American Conservative
“Iran and the New World Disorder.” (03/25/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/tac-right-now-iran-and-the-new-world-disorder/
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54) The Briefing Podcast with Michael Waldman
Source: Brennan Center for Justice
“How to Improve America’s Prisons (with L.B. Eisen and Randall Liberty).” (03/25/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC1GJi4vHOM
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55) The Political Orphanage, 03/25/26
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Parenting Behind Bars.” (03/25/26)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/parenting-behind-bars
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56) Politico Playbook Audio Briefing, 03/25/26
Source: Politico
“Democrats got more big wins on Tuesday night, flipping two legislative seats in reliably red Florida, including the district containing President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. The wins don’t dent Florida Republicans’ supermajority, but they mark more performances for Democrats that have defied expectations ahead of the pivotal midterm elections. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns discuss the warning signs for Republicans, and a notable Trump absence.” (03/25/26)
https://traffic.megaphone.fm/POLL7231637913.mp3
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57) Cato Daily Podcast, 03/24/26
Source: Cato Institute
“Surf, Speech, and Government Cartels.” (03/24/26)
https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-podcast/surf-speech-government-cartels
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58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 03/24/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“US Airstrikes in Iraq Kill Senior PMF Commander, New Iran Security Chief Is Former IRGC, and More.” (03/24/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKnIcvs7pc8
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59) The Bulwark Podcast, 03/24/26
Source: The Bulwark
“Trump’s War Is Worse Than the Market Thinks (w/ Jeffrey Goldberg & Joe Weisenthal).” (03/24/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hpc_7lB4w44
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60) Nonzero, 03/24/26
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“Israel, America, and the Iran War | Robert Wright & Ron Kampeas.” (03/24/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTwjKGXM9xo
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