06/25 -- Venezuela: At least 32 dead, 700 injured after massive earthquakes; Albania's Flamingo Revolution: A Fight for Property, Liberty, and the Right to Stay
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Thomas L. Knapp
Jun 25, 2026, 6:15:21 AM (12 days ago) Jun 25
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 06/25/26
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Venezuela: At least 32 dead, 700 injured after massive earthquakes
2) Sanctioned ICC judges sue Trump
3) GOP Senators scurry to assure Trump they didn’t really mean it when they voted to end illegal Iran war
4) Ukraine’s latest long-range strikes on Russia hit a major natural gas plant and satellite centers
5) Bitcoin falls under $60k, but traders anticipate 15% bounce
6) Pew survey: Global confidence in Trump stands at 23%
7) In attempt to deflect blame for results of his Iran fiasco, Trump accuses oil companies of “price gouging,” calls for DOJ probe
8) Chinese regime’s advanced aircraft carrier Fujian transits Taiwan Strait amid military drills
9) TX: Camp Mystic, following deadly flooding incident, files for bankruptcy
10) Czech Republic: Constitutional court says president should attend NATO summit
11) Ex-aides win primaries to replace retiring Dem House members
12) YouTube settles with frivolous/vexatious litigant
13) Colombia: Progressive candidate concedes presidential election to Trump-endorsed outsider
14) North Korea: Kim unveils 5,000-ton destroyer, touting nuclear capabilities
15) Trump abruptly cancels signing of housing bill ahead of GOP Senate visit
16) SC: Wilson wins GOP gubernatorial primary
17) France confirms first Ebola case
18) Peru: Fujimori Secures Unbeatable Lead in Presidential Election
19) California union warns of mass exodus with Newsom’s return to office order
20) TX: Anti-gang shooter, seven political prisoners sentenced
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Albania’s Flamingo Revolution: A Fight for Property, Liberty, and the Right to Stay
22) Rich people are not a problem
23) Against Friends, Against Enemies
24) A Republic or an Empire?
25) How does the First Amendment apply to AI?
26) Arkansas schools teachers’ unions, proves education can be improved
27) To celebrate the joy of baby banks
28) Independence Through an Economist’s Eyes
29) The Polite Kind Of Racism
30) Turning Back the Free Speech Recession
31) Mayor Brandon Johnson declares “transfemicide” crisis, ignores hundreds of black deaths
32) Trillionaire Entrepreneurs, Forgotten Risks, and the Politics of Envy
33) Democrats Should Embrace a Deal That Brings Trump’s Iran War to an End
34) Greenspan Was The Perfect Fed Chair. That Is Not a Compliment
35) Undermining the Market
36) The Pandemic Plan Needs to be Torn Up
37) Starmer’s exit exposes dirty secret: UK can’t afford Ukraine War
38) Callais Affects More Than Just Congress
39) State of Failure
40) Your Brain on Rage
41) Trump Is Winning The War on Nonprofits
42) SCOTUS Unanimously Ruled That the Second Amendment Trumps Anti-Drug Sentiment
43) Is Warsh His Own Man?
44) Industrial Policies: Even Modest Intervention Creates Market Distortions
45) How Steve Hilton Can Become California’s Next Governor
46) Mindless Middleness Was Keir Starmer’s Undoing
47) The Memorandum of Understanding With Iran Reeks of Capitulation
48) What If You Eliminated Personal Property Taxes and Nobody Noticed?
49) Greenspan Was the Creator of His Own Disaster
50) Who & What in LA?
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) The Political Orphanage, 06/24/26
52) Reason Interview: Jack Clark
53) Rising, 06/24/26
54) The Corbett Report, episode 505
55) The Good Fight, 06/23/26
56) Freakonomics Radio, 06/23/26
57) Nonzero, 06/23/26
58) Jay Noone on The Mark Edge Show
59) Year Zero with Tommy Salmons, 06/23/26
60) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/23/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Venezuela: At least 32 dead, 700 injured after massive earthquakes
Source: USA Today
“Massive, twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 killed at least 32 people and injured at least 700 others as buildings collapsed across several states in the South American nation, officials said. In an early update on June 25, acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez warned that the death toll is expected to climb as rescuers continue searching through the rubble. … The first quake occurred at around 6:04 p.m. local time about 15 miles east-northeast of San Felipe, Venezuela, data from the U.S. Geological Survey showed. The temblor, initially reported as a magnitude 7.1, had a depth of about 12.6 miles, and its epicenter was west of Morón, a town located on the country’s Caribbean coast. Less than a minute later, the USGS reported a second major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5.” (06/25/26)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2026/06/24/venezuela-earthquake-tsunami-threats/90684878007/
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2) Sanctioned ICC judges sue Trump
Source: Courthouse News Service
“Frozen bank accounts, canceled credit cards and blocked travel led three International Criminal Court judges to sue the Trump administration Wednesday, arguing they were punished simply for the cases they decided. In the 66-page complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the trio asks a judge to strike down President Donald Trump’s sanctions order, remove Judges Kimberly Prost, Solomy Bossa and Reine Alapini-Gansou from the U.S. sanctions list, unblock any frozen property and bar the government from enforcing the measures against them. … Trump signed Executive Order 14203 on Feb. 6, 2025, after the ICC pursued investigations involving U.S. personnel in Afghanistan and Israeli leaders over the war in Gaza. The order declared a national emergency and authorized sanctions against foreign nationals involved in ICC investigations or prosecutions targeting U.S. citizens or nationals of allied countries that do not recognize the court’s jurisdiction.” (06/24/26)
https://courthousenews.com/sanctioned-icc-judges-sue-trump-in-new-york/
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3) GOP Senators scurry to assure Trump they didn’t really mean it when they voted to end illegal Iran war
Source: The Hill
“The Senate late Wednesday night in a 47-50-1 vote opted not to rebuke the Trump administration a second time over its military conflict in Iran, as leaders convinced some Republican swing votes that doing so would harm the negotiations to end the war. The resolution would have been Congress’[s] way to reassert its power to declare war and directed President Trump to ‘remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force.’ Sen. Rand Paul, who has voted with Democrats for similar resolutions in the past, said in a statement shortly before the vote that he would vote ‘present,’ rather than ‘no,’ to avoid jeopardizing the negotiations.” (06/24/26)
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5939699-senate-gop-gets-back-in-line-with-trump-over-the-iran-war/
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4) Ukraine’s latest long-range strikes on Russia hit a major natural gas plant and satellite centers
Source: Associated Press
“Ukrainian forces struck a major natural gas processing plant and two key satellite communications centers in their latest nighttime attacks on Russia, Ukraine’s General Staff said Wednesday. The operation was part of Ukraine’s aerial campaign targeting energy facilities and military industries that has intensified as Kyiv builds bigger and better long-range weapons to ward off Russia’s full-scale invasion, now in its fifth year. In response, Moscow has ordered the redeployment of some air defense systems from Russian regions to the capital and to Crimea’s Kerch Bridge, a crucial link for supplying Russian troops, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The bridge connects the Crimean Peninsula with the Russian mainland.” (06/24/26)
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-crimea-attacks-6076b6666c3312bbf9b4b8d875a52513
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5) Bitcoin falls under $60k, but traders anticipate 15% bounce
Source: CoinTelegraph
“Bitcoin (BTC) hit new two-week lows at Wednesday’s Wall Street open as traders predicted a rally to a ‘poor’ lower high. Data from TradingView showed BTC price action dropping below $60,000 for the first time since June 10. Traders had warned of increasing short interest with rising funding rates, boosting the odds of a capitulatory move lower.” (06/24/26)
https://cointelegraph.com/markets/bitcoin-hits-2-week-lows
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6) Pew survey: Global confidence in Trump stands at 23%
Source: USA Today
“President Donald Trump likes to boast that under his leadership, the United States is the ‘hottest and most respected Country anywhere in the World.’ However, according to a new Pew Research Center survey, the president’s approval ratings among adults around the globe are at an all-time low. Pew surveyed 42,151 citizens of 36 nations and found that a mere 23% of international respondents expressed confidence in Trump’s leadership on world affairs, while overall sentiment about the United States is ‘largely negative.’ … According to Pew, Indonesia, Italy, Nigeria, South Africa, South Korea and Turkey saw some of the most significant drops in favorable views of the United States, with each tallying double-digit declines over the past year. Of the 36 nations polled, less than 10 view the U.S. favorably. That includes Israel at 81%, followed by 68% of Ghanaians, 63% of Nigerians and Kenyans, 61% of Colombians, 58% of Hungarians and 51% of Peruvians.” (06/24/26)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2026/06/23/pew-survey-global-sentiment-trump-united-states/90664231007/
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7) In attempt to deflect blame for results of his Iran fiasco, Trump accuses oil companies of “price gouging,” calls for DOJ probe
Source: NBC News
“President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he had instructed the Justice Department to immediately probe oil companies for not lowering gas prices at the pump in line with falling costs, accusing them of ‘gouging’ consumers. Trump did not name any companies in his late-night message on Truth Social, which was posted shortly after midnight. … the American Petroleum Institute, which represents all of the major U.S. oil and gas companies, said the industry ‘shares the goal of delivering relief at the pump and restoring stability to global energy markets.’ But, ‘gasoline prices don’t move in lockstep with crude oil, especially during a major global disruption that is still affecting supply, refining and inventories,’ API spokesperson Bethany Williams said.” (06/24/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-gas-price-gouging-oil-iran-war-hormuz-doj-rcna351522
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8) Chinese regime’s advanced aircraft carrier Fujian transits Taiwan Strait amid military drills
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“The People’s Liberation Army’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian Type 003, transited the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, a day after Taipei launched a combat readiness exercise. Song Zhongping, a military commentator and former PLA instructor, said the Fujian could be heading back to its home port in the southern island province of Hainan for a break before it headed out to the South China Sea for more training. … The transit came a day after Taiwan kicked off a five-day military drill called the Immediate Combat Readiness Exercise, an effort meant to boost the island’s ability to quickly move to a wartime footing.” (06/24/26)
https://archive.is/WfAvZ
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9) TX: Camp Mystic, following deadly flooding incident, files for bankruptcy
Source: ABC News
“Camp Mystic, the Christian all-girls sleepaway camp, filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday, according to court records. The Chapter 11 filing comes nearly a year after a deadly flood killed 25 girls and two teen counselors at the camp’s Guadalupe River location, which is located in the Texas Hill Country. According to the Wednesday filing, Camp Mystic has a debt exceeding $10 million. Paul Yetter, an attorney representing seven victims’ families, said in a statement Wednesday, ‘Bankruptcy will not stop all responsible parties from being held accountable.'” (06/24/26)
https://abcnews.com/US/camp-mystic-site-deadly-texas-flooding-files-bankruptcy/story?id=134165471
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10) Czech Republic: Constitutional court says president should attend NATO summit
Source: Politico
“The Czech Republic’s Constitutional Court issued a preliminary injunction on Wednesday allowing President Petr Pavel to attend the July NATO summit in Ankara. The court’s ruling partially resolves the ongoing dispute between Pavel and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, who announced on Monday that Pavel could not be part of the country’s delegation. Pavel filed a competency lawsuit the following day, seeking clarity on who has the authority to decide whether the head of state may attend the NATO summit. While the court will take up the ultimate question in an expedited manner in the coming weeks, it cited precedent from past presidents’ summit attendance, as well as Friday’s accreditation deadline, as grounds for the immediate injunction.” (06/24/26)
https://www.politico.eu/article/czech-constitutional-court-petr-pavel-nato-summit/
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11) Ex-aides win primaries to replace retiring Dem House members
Source: SFGate
“U.S. Reps. Steny Hoyer and Jerrold Nadler, two of the top Democrats in Congress, are retiring when their terms expire in January, but they will continue to make their imprints on Washington. The pair passed the torch Tuesday night to former aides who won the Democratic primaries to replace them on Capitol Hill, and because both districts are overwhelmingly blue, they are all but certain to win in November and get sworn in to replace their former bosses. Hoyer and Nadler are the latest lawmakers to successfully anoint their successors after spending decades in Congress. Among 68 members of Congress not seeking reelection this year, at least five have endorsed former staffers to replace them and more than a dozen others have, to varying degrees, worked to smooth the path to Capitol Hill for their favored replacements.” (06/24/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/ex-aides-win-primaries-to-replace-retiring-22318270.php
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12) YouTube settles with frivolous/vexatious litigant
Source: Engadget
“Following a similar lawsuit earlier this year, Google has settled with a minor known as ‘R.K.C.’ who claimed that social media platforms harmed them, Reuters reported. Terms of the settlement were confidential, the lawyers said yesterday. The same plaintiff also sued Meta, Snap and TikTok, with those trials set to proceed next month. YouTube has thousands of similar lawsuits pending, so this second case represents a test run for the many to follow. … More than 3,300 [frivolous/vexatious] lawsuits involving social media addiction [sic] are pending in California state courts, and another 2,600 were brought by people, school districts, municipalities and states in California federal court.” (06/24/26)
https://www.engadget.com/2200409/youtube-settles-early-test-case-over-social-media-harm-to-children/
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13) Colombia: Progressive candidate concedes presidential election to Trump-endorsed outsider
Source: SFGate
“Progressive candidate Iván Cepeda on Wednesday conceded Colombia’s presidential election to Abelardo de la Espriella, a conservative outsider who was endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Election results showed de la Espriella, a businessman and lawyer who had never run for office, defeated Cepeda, a lawmaker, by 1 percentage point, or nearly 251,000 votes. ‘We assume with serenity, responsibility, and absolute resolve — and let there be no doubt about it — the role that circumstances demand of us,’ Cepeda said in an address to the nation. ‘We will exercise a democratic, vigilant and constructive opposition.’ The result effectively was an indictment of outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s government, whose policies Cepeda had promised to continue, including a largely failed effort to establish dialogue with multiple armed groups under a plan known as ‘total peace’. Electoral authorities published all but a fraction of the vote count hours after polls closed Sunday.” (06/24/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/progressive-candidate-concedes-colombian-22318679.php
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14) North Korea: Kim unveils 5,000-ton destroyer, touting nuclear capabilities
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“North Korea has commissioned a 5,000-ton destroyer that leader Kim Jong Un touts as a symbol of the country’s growing naval and nuclear capabilities, state media reported on Wednesday, as Pyongyang seeks to expand its ability to project military power at sea. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim told a commissioning ceremony on Tuesday at the western port of Nampo that warships such as the Choe Hyon show that the nuclear armament of his navy is progressing as planned. … After years of spurring ballistic missile development, Kim has shifted his focus more towards naval capabilities, including the ongoing construction of a nuclear-powered submarine. Naval capabilities were also a key focus when Kim outlined his five-year military goals at February’s Workers’ Party congress, which included calls for intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of underwater launches.” (06/24/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20260624-kim-jong-un-unveils-5-000-ton-destroyer-touting-nuclear-capabilities
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15) Trump abruptly cancels signing of housing bill ahead of GOP Senate visit
Source: SFGate
“President Donald Trump ratcheted up tensions with Senate Republicans on Wednesday by abruptly canceling his signing of a bipartisan measure to make housing more affordable. Republicans had hoped to show voters they care about affordability ahead of the November elections. But the president blindsided them by insisting that Congress first pass a bill imposing federal rules on state-run elections. Trump had already planned to lunch Wednesday with GOP senators increasingly frustrated by his diversions from the party’s agenda and his unclear Iran war strategy. Trump also has a face-to-face Wednesday with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, two weeks ahead of the annual summit of the military alliance, as the Pentagon reviews the U.S. military footprint in Europe.” (06/24/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/the-latest-trump-will-head-to-capitol-to-speak-22318468.php
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16) SC: Wilson wins GOP gubernatorial primary
Source: NBC News
“State Attorney General Alan Wilson has won the Republican nomination for governor of South Carolina, NBC News projected Tuesday, after a closely watched runoff that featured President Donald Trump’s unusual double endorsement of two candidates. Wilson is now heavily favored heading into the general election in South Carolina’s first open governor’s race since 2010. Republican Gov. Henry McMaster was term-limited and could not seek re-election. Democratic candidate Jermaine Johnson won his primary this month.” (06/23/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/south-carolina-governor-runoff-election-winner-wilson-rcna351122
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17) France confirms first Ebola case
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“France has confirmed its first case of Ebola – a doctor who had returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The doctor was ‘immediately admitted to a specialised facility’ and is in a stable condition, the French health ministry said on Wednesday. DR Congo announced an Ebola outbreak last month, but experts believe the virus had been circulating for weeks previously. More than 260 people are confirmed to have died from the virus in the central African country, while 1,000 people have been infected. This is the first Ebola case to have been confirmed in Europe, although an American doctor who tested positive in DR Congo was treated at a German hospital last month. DR Congo’s neighbour, Uganda, has also confirmed Ebola cases. The World Health Organization (WHO) says 20 people are known to have been infected there and two deaths have been confirmed.” (06/24/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj9gzr9rdjlo
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18) Peru: Fujimori Secures Unbeatable Lead in Presidential Election
Source: US News & World Report
“Conservative Keiko Fujimori gained an insurmountable lead in Peru’s presidential runoff late on Tuesday, setting her on track to assume the presidency. Fujimori, a four-time presidential hopeful and the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, now has 50.11% of the votes, putting her ahead of leftist rival Roberto Sanchez by 43,386 votes. There remain only 40,213 potential votes to be counted, according to data from Peru’s ONPE electoral authority. The electoral authority has yet to officially declare a winner and plans to do so in mid-July. Fujimori’s expected victory deepens Latin America’s rightward shift, following outsider Abelardo De La Espriella’s election in Colombia on Sunday. Voters concerned about crime have flocked to hardline candidates. Earlier on Tuesday, Sanchez alleged that ‘fraud was underway,’ without providing evidence, and said he would refuse to recognize the results of the election, raising the prospect of a prolonged political crisis in Peru.” (06/24/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-06-24/right-wing-fujimori-secures-unbeatable-lead-in-peru-presidential-election
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19) California union warns of mass exodus with Newsom’s return to office order
Source: SFGate
“California state workers are challenging a new mandate requiring them to return to the office four days a week starting July 1, as lawmakers advance a bill to ensure telework options. A billboard off a Sacramento highway warns of future traffic jams caused by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order. State workers argue they have been working efficiently under hybrid schedules since the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘Since COVID we have been working and doing the jobs and being efficient and doing the jobs to keep California running,’ said Anica Walls, the president of SEIU Local 1000, which represents state workers in Sacramento. ‘This mandate as overarching as it does not give departments the space to bring back our workers as needed.’ It’s not clear which departments exactly are struggling with space and how the Newsom administration is handling it. A spokesman with California’s Government Operations Agency declined an interview request with California Politics 360.” (06/21/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/california-return-to-office-22314184.php
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20) TX: Anti-gang shooter, seven political prisoners sentenced
Source: Associated Press
“A former U.S. Marine reservist and seven others were sentenced Tuesday to decades in prison over a shooting last year that wounded a police officer during a demonstration at a Texas immigration [concentration camp]. Prosecutors called the crime an act of terrorism and said the eight were linked to the leftist militant group antifa. The defendants’ attorneys denied any antifa ties and family members expressed shock and anger over the stiff sentences. Benjamin Song, the Marine reservist who was convicted of opening fire during the July 4 demonstration outside the Prairieland [concentration camp] near Dallas, was sentenced to 100 years in prison, the maximum punishment. The seven others sentenced in Fort Worth courtrooms received prison terms ranging from 30 to 70 years.” (06/23/26)
https://apnews.com/article/prairieland-detention-center-shooting-sentencing-1eb7a8ac32dbb637e027709ae010f374
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Albania’s Flamingo Revolution: A Fight for Property, Liberty, and the Right to Stay
Source: Liberty International
by Kozeta Çuadari Çika
“Albania is experiencing its most significant civic mobilisation since the fall of communism, fuelled by the massive anti-government demonstrations known as the ‘Flamingo Revolution.’ What began as a localised environmental protest against a multi-billion-dollar luxury resort development has escalated into a nationwide revolt. Hundreds of thousands of citizens of all ages are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and his administration. The initial catalyst for the unrest was a development project valued at between $4.6 billion and $5.7 billion, backed by Affinity Partners — an investment firm led by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. The project targets the pristine, uninhabited Sazan Island and the environmentally sensitive Vjosa-Narta protected coastal zone near the village of Zvërnec. First of all, major transparency concerns have arisen over how coastal land titles were transferred to private entities.” (06/24/26)
https://liberty-intl.org/2026/06/24/albanias-flamingo-revolution-a-fight-for-property-liberty-and-the-right-to-stay/
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22) Rich people are not a problem
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“No one gets to decide what others need. As long as they aren’t stealing it, it’s none of your business. If someone earns a quadrillion dollars by giving customers what they want and by filling a niche, they aren’t a problem. It’s a positive thing for society, and only ignorant people get upset over it. It’s trendy to hate rich people. It’s also incredibly stupid. Most of the people upset over ‘excessive’ wealth — such as the tax-addicted politicians and their followers — contribute nothing. Takers envy makers. For a millionaire politician to demand that a billionaire entrepreneur hand over some percentage of his money is dishonest. The entrepreneur contributes; the politician is a parasite who only takes.” (06/24/26)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2026/06/24/voices/opinion-rich-people-are-not-a-problem/233710.html
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23) Against Friends, Against Enemies
Source: Liberalism.org
by Jason Kuznicki
“Suppose I want commercial pineapple harvesters to enjoy good lives today. Most of them aren’t in Hawaiʻi anymore; they’re in Costa Rica. Should I import my pineapples from them? (Import pineapples? To Hawaiʻi? Surely not.) But to avoid eating imported pineapples impoverishes Costa Rican field hands. It might take away the only work they have, such as it is. When I grow at home, that’s what I’m doing, if only to a tiny degree. Buying from my neighbors, who sell at the farmers’ markets, achieves the same end; the descendants of plantation workers here in Hawaiʻi are usually much wealthier than today’s Costa Rican field hands. Yet if I were to return to the globalized market, I might just fatten some Costa Rican landlords. I want to ask: Where are the limits to any of these intuitions?” (06/24/26)
https://www.liberalism.org/p/against-friends-against-enemies
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24) A Republic or an Empire?
Source: Antiwar.com
by Andrew P Napolitano
“In a constitutional republic, government may only take liberty and property pursuant to law and only from those who have consented by granting those powers to the government in the constitution that created it; and any exercise of any powers not consented to by the governed is assaultive of natural rights, is beyond the government’s moral and constitutional authority, is morally illicit and of no legal validity. In an empire, the government has no limits. It does whatever the head of state wants. It denies the enforceability of international norms, enriches itself at the people’s expense, takes property without the consent of the governed, violates natural rights, starts wars to please constituent groups, murders people without trial whom it claims have violated its laws, suppresses foreign people and tells them how to live, and even kidnaps their leaders.” (06/24/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2026/06/23/a-republic-or-an-empire
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25) How does the First Amendment apply to AI?
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Education
by Tyler Tone
“Far from authorless, AI models are built by a long chain of expressive decisions meriting First Amendment coverage.” (06/24/26)
https://www.fire.org/news/how-does-first-amendment-apply-ai
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26) Arkansas schools teachers’ unions, proves education can be improved
Source: Fox News Forum
by Jonathan Turley
“For years, I have been writing about the decline of public education in the United States. The political power of teachers[‘] unions led to bloated budgets as schools pursued ideological agendas over educational advancements. Despite massive budgets, scores of students in major cities have continued to plummet or remain at the same dismal levels. Now, Arkansas has shown what is possible if officials put education first. Scores in the state have soared after the implementation of reforms that many of us have advocated for years. It also shows that state governments, not the federal government, are critical to reversing our slide in educational performance as the administration moves toward eliminating the Department of Education. Arkansas implemented a new program and testing protocol called the ‘Arkansas Teaching, Learning and Assessment System’, or ATLAS, with a mix of higher pay for teachers, performance-based bonuses and a voucher system for families.” (06/24/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/jonathan-turley-arkansas-schools-teachers-unions-proves-education-improved
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27) To celebrate the joy of baby banks
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Tim Worstall
“Some are deluded enough to think that this is a problem: ‘About 400,000 UK children supported by baby banks, up 11% on previous year’ … This is, of course, a glory of our society. Babbies and their mothers are supported. This is achieved entirely by the efforts of society itself, the little platoons. There is no intervention by the Lanyard Class, no compulsory confiscation to pay for it all, just Britons geting together to aid Britons. How glorious it is etc. … The correct response to this is to send ‘em the occasional £50 and leave well alone. Why mess with what works?” (06/24/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/to-celebrate-the-joy-of-baby-banks
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28) Independence Through an Economist’s Eyes
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Angelo Monaco
“While the Declaration of Independence is frequently lauded as a masterpiece of political philosophy, I have always held that beneath its revolutionary rhetoric lies a sophisticated blueprint for a liberal economic order. Far from a mere catalog of political grievances, the document functions as a definitive rejection of the British economic system, asserting that the ‘pursuit of happiness’ is inextricably linked to the individual’s right to self-ownership, vocation, and the unencumbered exchange of labor. By grounding the legitimacy of government in the protection of pre-political, unalienable rights — most notably the security of property against arbitrary taxation and the freedom to trade with ‘all parts of the world’ — Jefferson and the Continental Congress established the moral and legal infrastructure necessary for a spontaneous market order.” (06/24/26)
https://www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/independence-through-an-economists-eyes/
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29) The Polite Kind Of Racism
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“There are two types of racism in the west: the kind that’s considered acceptable in polite liberal society, and the kind that’s widely frowned upon. The acceptable type of racism is the kind which considers it fine and normal to drop bombs on Muslim families overseas. The kind which sees starvation sanctions as a minor issue whose pros and cons are assessed solely on the basis of whether they will be successful or unsuccessful in achieving regime change. The kind which views imperialist extraction from the global south as the natural order of the world, with centrists and progressives squabbling only about how evenly that plunder should be distributed among westerners. The unacceptable type of racism is the kind which affects other westerners. The kind whose consequences western liberals have to see.” [editor’s note: Muslims aren’t a race – TLK] (06/24/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/06/24/the-polite-kind-of-racism/
-----
30) Turning Back the Free Speech Recession
Source: Law & Liberty
by Adam Tomkins
“The principal argument of The Future of Free Speech is that, when compared with this ‘golden age’ of the late twentieth century, free speech is now ‘in recession.’ The authors are impassioned about this. They lament it at length, and in the final (short) section of the book, they offer what they consider to be a better way ahead. The success (or otherwise) of this book hinges far more on the accuracy and quality of the authors’ account of the present than it does on their proposals for the future (which occupy only its last forty or so pages). Sadly, the authors are unpersuasive. This is not only because of their addiction to jet-setting. It is also due to their treatment being somewhat scattergun and to it being overly one-sided.” (06/24/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/turning-back-the-free-speech-recession/
-----
31) Mayor Brandon Johnson declares “transfemicide” crisis, ignores hundreds of black deaths
Source: New York Post
by Karol Markowicz
“Chicago, Chicago, that toddling town: Or it was some time ago when Frank Sinatra sang about it. Now it’s in the throes of something called a ‘Transfemicide State of Emergency’, according to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, with no time for a little toddling around the dance floor. Posting to his X account, Johnson announced in all apparent seriousness: ‘Since declaring a Transfemicide State of Emergency, our administration has strengthened the City’s capacity to support LGBTQ+ Chicagoans.’ … You may think such a thing is necessary because of the many, many murders of trans Chicagoans happening daily. In fact, only one trans person was killed in Chicago in all of last year — and the incident appears to have been a matter of domestic violence unrelated to their trans status.” (06/23/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/06/23/opinion/mayor-brandon-johnson-declares-a-transfemicide-crisis-ignores-hundreds-of-black-deaths/
-----
32) Trillionaire Entrepreneurs, Forgotten Risks, and the Politics of Envy
Source: The Daily Economy
by Stefan Bartl
“Once entrepreneurial success arrives, few recall the risks, ridicule, failed ventures, sleepless nights, and near-disasters that came before.” (06/24/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/trillionaire-entrepreneurs-forgotten-risks-and-the-politics-of-envy/
-----
33) Democrats Should Embrace a Deal That Brings Trump’s Iran War to an End
Source: The Progressive
by Stephen Zunes
“Many of the criticisms being leveled against the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran (namely, that it is not that great a deal) are accurate and worthy of attention. But under the disastrous set of circumstances resulting from the US-Israeli war on Iran, it is probably the best deal that can be realistically hoped for, given that Iran clearly has the upper hand. Unfortunately, that has not stopped some Washington politicians, including many prominent Democrats, from attempting to undermine it.” (06/23/26)
https://progressive.org/latest/trumps-deal-with-iran-is-good-enough-zunes-20260623/
-----
34) Greenspan Was The Perfect Fed Chair. That Is Not a Compliment
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Connor O’Keeffe
“On Monday, Alan Greenspan died at age 100. The former Federal Reserve Chair spent eighteen and a half years at the helm of the central bank from 1987 to 2006—a total of five terms under four presidents. As with any death of a prominent figure, the news led many to reflect on Greenspan’s legacy and, in this case, debate how he stacks up with other Federal Reserve chairs. … this entire discussion is flawed. Because it rests on the false assumption that the Federal Reserve and all its intellectual backers in the political class can be taken at their word: that the Fed is an institution that is genuinely capable of and interested in bringing about a stable, growing economy, and, therefore, that a good Fed Chair is someone who simply manages the economy well. That is all a lie.” (06/24/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/greenspan-was-perfect-fed-chair-not-compliment
-----
35) Undermining the Market
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Arman Sidhu
“There is a contradiction at the heart of the G7’s new approach to critical minerals. When the Group of Seven closed its summit in Évian-les-Bains on June 17, it issued a statement insisting that these supply chains should be ‘governed by market principles.’ Yet almost every measure the alliance endorsed would put governments in charge instead.” (06/24/26)
https://fee.org/articles/undermining-the-market/
-----
36) The Pandemic Plan Needs to be Torn Up
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Jeffrey A Tucker
“The closest thing we have in this country to a pandemic plan is called the Pandemic Action Crisis Plan or PanCap. It remains the prevailing unclassified document. It posits stay-at-home orders, school closures, business shutdowns, office closures, travel restrictions, testing, track-and-trace, and the creation and distribution of countermeasures called vaccines. … This approach has no precedent in the long history of public health. The old way was to keep calm, understand the illness, treat those affected, and use rational approaches to mitigate the impacts. The new way invented in 2005 is about command and control, pretending to manage the microbial kingdom like an engineering project.” (06/24/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/the-pandemic-plan-needs-to-be-torn-up/
-----
37) Starmer’s exit exposes dirty secret: UK can’t afford Ukraine War
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Ian Proud
“Sir Keir Starmer bowed to the inevitable Monday and resigned from leadership of the Labour Party and, therefore, from his role as prime minister. The resignation had been brewing for some time. While Starmer led the Labour Party to an astounding landslide election victory in July 2024, by September 2025, he was already being labeled the most unpopular prime minister since polling began; this followed a series of U-turns and poorly handled crises. After heavy losses of council seats in local elections in May, the Labour Party moved quickly to remove him. Former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is expected to become prime minister after an internal Labour Party leadership contest. (Labour maintains a majority in parliament, so it maintains the right to form a government.) Burnham will quickly find that he doesn’t have the money to fix public services, double defense spending, and continue to fund an unwinnable war in Ukraine.” (06/24/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/uk-burnham-starmer-ukraine/
-----
38) Callais Affects More Than Just Congress
Source: Liberal Currents
by Steve Kennedy
“Most attention surrounding Callais has focused on congressional maps, particularly in Louisiana and other Southern states where Black voters have successfully challenged racially discriminatory district lines since the passage of the VRA. But the decision will have effects up and down the ballot, including for races as consequential as for state supreme courts.” (06/24/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/callais-affects-more-than-just-congress/
-----
39) State of Failure
Source: Quillette
by Brian Stewart
“Trump ignored Clausewitz, and disaster ensued.” (06/24/26)
https://quillette.com/2026/06/24/state-of-failure-iran-israel-trump-epic-fury/
-----
40) Your Brain on Rage
Source: CounterPunch
by Tom H Hastings
“I was riding my bike to work, a fun 7-mile commute in a city with bike lanes and a general respect for those who bicycle. Still, a bike vs auto or truck? No chance for the bike rider. … Sure enough, a truck veered right into my lane, the skinny bike lane only separated from auto traffic by a line of paint. I shifted to my extreme right, almost up against the curb. Another couple of inches and the truck would have ended me. In the moment I yelled and gave him a rude gesture with a middle finger. Um … I teach peace, I train deëscalation, and yet … It was the dreaded amygdala hijack, the rising up of the most primitive part of the brain, the limbic lizard brain, taking control when extreme fear activates it.” (06/24/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/06/24/your-brain-on-rage/
-----
41) Trump Is Winning The War on Nonprofits
Source: Common Dreams
by Phil Buchanan & Elisha Smith Arrillaga
“Since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, his administration has waged war on nonprofits. Actions have included federal funding cuts to the tune of billions of dollars, targeting of specific organizations with investigations or indictments, and threats to tax-exempt status. While some efforts have been turned back by the courts, the administration has been unrelenting and, sadly, every American community will suffer as a result of this sustained attack. Presidential announcements warn of ‘anti-American NGOs’ and allege without any credible evidence that networks of nonprofits are acting as ‘domestic terrorist organizations’. Recently, the administration issued proposed regulations intended to impose sweeping new restrictions on nonprofits that receive federal funding—including that such organizations not advance diversity, equity, and inclusion or assist in voter registration.” (06/24/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-war-nonprofits
-----
42) SCOTUS Unanimously Ruled That the Second Amendment Trumps Anti-Drug Sentiment
Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum
“The Supreme Court has a history of facilitating the war on drugs by whittling away at civil liberties, to the point that critics have long perceived a ‘drug exception’ to the Bill of Rights. But last week, when the justices unanimously upheld the gun rights of cannabis consumers, they made it clear that there is no drug exception to the Second Amendment.” (06/24/26)
https://reason.com/2026/06/24/scotus-unanimously-ruled-that-the-second-amendment-trumps-anti-drug-sentiment/
-----
43) Is Warsh His Own Man?
Source: The American Conservative
by David Brady
“The Fed chair’s first meeting was largely uneventful but laid the groundwork of challenges for his tenure.” (06/24/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/is-warsh-his-own-man/
-----
44) Industrial Policies: Even Modest Intervention Creates Market Distortions
Source: Cato Institute
by Jeffrey Miron
“Industrial policy — government efforts to favor certain sectors, technologies, or firms — has a long history. Far from a fringe idea, politicians across the spectrum have promoted such policies for centuries. But the results are far more problematic than its current popularity suggests.” (06/23/26)
https://www.cato.org/blog/industrial-policies
-----
45) How Steve Hilton Can Become California’s Next Governor
Source: Town Hall
by Edward Ring
“A very successful businessman (and a major contributor to Democratic Party candidates and causes) once explained to me why he talked, acted, and thought like a Republican but never considered supporting any Republican candidate, ever. ‘We’ve already got the Republicans’, he told me. This is the transactional essence behind corporate support for Democrats in California, the one-party state. Republicans have no political power, and whenever the Democrats in the state legislature are surprisingly split on a matter of concern to business interests, the handful of Republican politicians will invariably cast pro-business votes. This has been going on for a long time. Democrats have controlled both houses of the state legislature since 1997 and the governorship since 2011. A signature moment came in 2010 when Jerry Brown defeated the hapless billionaire Republican Meg Whitman to begin his second two-term stint as governor.” (06/24/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/06/24/how-steve-hilton-can-become-californias-next-governor/
-----
46) Mindless Middleness Was Keir Starmer’s Undoing
Source: The UnPopulist
by Berny Belvedere
“Rather than govern on the strength of his supermajority in Parliament, Starmer governed as though he had something to fear, spending his majority appeasing not the Conservatives he had beaten but a Reform he chased rightward as it climbed. Starmer had room to govern boldly. Instead, he governed in a crouch. … The bet was that the right’s goods in gentler packaging would deny the right its market. It failed twice over. The voters he hoped to hold by sounding tougher did not stay; they went to the people who meant it. The voters he might have inspired got nothing to be inspired by. He alienated the left without satisfying the right.” (06/23/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/mindless-middleness-was-keir-starmers
-----
47) The Memorandum of Understanding With Iran Reeks of Capitulation
Source: Exiled Policy
by Jason Pye
“As unhappy as Israel may be about it, there appears to be a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MOU) between the United States and Iran. The MOU isn’t a final deal. It really only functions as a framework. Of course, it’s fragile. The durability of the MOU remains uncertain given broader regional tensions, including Israeli operations in Lebanon. Negotiations for a formal agreement are underway in Switzerland, and progress has been reported. The elephant in the room is what the MOU says, specifically regarding reconstruction, economic development, and sanctions relief.” (06/23/26)
https://exiledpolicy.substack.com/p/the-memorandum-of-understanding-with
-----
48) What If You Eliminated Personal Property Taxes and Nobody Noticed?
Source: Show-Me Institute
by David Stokes
“There is a lot of ongoing discussion about eliminating personal property taxes. There have been bills introduced to eliminate them. It’s a major topic of debate around the state, particularly in St. Charles County. Personal property taxes are the taxes levied on your car, boat, livestock, business equipment, farm equipment, and more. … if personal property taxes were eliminated, the Hancock Amendment would allow local governments to then raise real property taxes by the amount lost in personal property taxes. So, if the state eliminated all personal property taxes statewide, it would likely end up as a revenue-neutral switch where we taxed land and buildings slightly more and taxed mobile assets not at all while removing a tax that most people find particularly annoying. I think that would be a modestly beneficial switch; I just don’t want to sell it as a tax cut.” (06/23/26)
https://showmeinstitute.org/article/economy/what-if-you-eliminated-personal-property-taxes-and-nobody-noticed/
-----
49) Greenspan Was the Creator of His Own Disaster
Source: The American Prospect
by Chris Hughes
“Alan Greenspan’s obituary writers want to credit him with a single, flattering flaw: that he trusted markets too much. That charge is too generous, because Greenspan never left markets to run themselves. He used the power of the Fed to cultivate and reward financial innovation, making the financial system more fragile for it. Often misunderstood as an Ayn Rand acolyte, Greenspan was not a true libertarian. His creed was not ‘leave the market alone’ as much as it was to use the tools of the government to make the market faster and more inventive — and then stand by to catch it when it falls. Those actions fueled the soaring inequality and the economic crash of 2008. Greenspan was no bystander watching markets obey some ineffable logic. His obsession with financial innovation set the stage for the crisis.” (06/24/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/06/24/alan-greenspan-creator-of-his-own-disaster/
-----
50) Who & What in LA?
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Last week, the Los Angeles City Council voted to place a charter amendment on the November 3 ballot to facilitate giving noncitizens a vote in city elections.” [editor’s note: Presumably “noncitizen” means “noncitizen of the US,” not “noncitizen of LA.” Sort of like how, as a US citizen, I get to vote in US elections whether I’m also a citizen of France or not – TLK] (06/23/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/06/23/who-what-in-la
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) The Political Orphanage, 06/24/26
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Zuby Grew up in a Company Town.” (06/24/26)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/zuby-grew-up-in-a-company-town
-----
52) Reason Interview: Jack Clark
Source: Reason
“Is AI Really Taking All the Jobs? Anthropic Co-Founder Reveals the Data.” (06/24/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/06/24/anthropic-co-founder-the-most-powerful-technology-ever-built/
-----
53) Rising, 06/24/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave delivers his radar responding to podcaster Theo Von’s latest viral clip where he takes a hardline stance against data centers.” (06/24/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/5931931-rising-june-24-2026/
-----
54) The Corbett Report, episode 505
Source: The Corbett Report
“I Read The Palantir Manifesto.” (06/23/26)
https://corbettreport.com/i-read-the-palantir-manifesto/
-----
55) The Good Fight, 06/23/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Mark Leonard on Whether Europe is Doomed.” (06/23/26)
https://writing.yaschamounk.com/p/mark-leonard
-----
56) Freakonomics Radio, 06/23/26
Source: Freakonomics
“The World Is (Still) Drowning in Sludge.” (06/23/26)
https://freakonomics.com/podcast/the-world-is-still-drowning-in-sludge/
-----
57) Nonzero, 06/23/26
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“AI and Our Coming Cosmic Reckoning | Robert Wright & Nikita Petrov.” (06/23/26)
https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/69566
-----
58) Jay Noone on The Mark Edge Show
Source: Free Talk Live
“Jay Noone has built something most people only talk about: a real community of like minded families on a working farm in New Hampshire, where kids learn blacksmithing, animal butchering, diesel mechanics, and how to carry themselves as competent, self reliant people.” (06/23/26)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/mesjaynoone
-----
59) Year Zero with Tommy Salmons, 06/23/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Usury and the Soul of Orthodoxy w/Fr Emmanuel Lemelson.” (06/23/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/usury-and-the-soul-of-orthodoxy-w-fr-emmanuel-lemelson/
-----
60) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/23/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Congress Passes Iran War Powers Resolution, US Launched 68 Airstrikes in Somalia This Year, and More.” (06/23/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyW63gY1VVc
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Venezuela: At least 32 dead, 700 injured after massive earthquakes
2) Sanctioned ICC judges sue Trump
3) GOP Senators scurry to assure Trump they didn’t really mean it when they voted to end illegal Iran war
4) Ukraine’s latest long-range strikes on Russia hit a major natural gas plant and satellite centers
5) Bitcoin falls under $60k, but traders anticipate 15% bounce
6) Pew survey: Global confidence in Trump stands at 23%
7) In attempt to deflect blame for results of his Iran fiasco, Trump accuses oil companies of “price gouging,” calls for DOJ probe
8) Chinese regime’s advanced aircraft carrier Fujian transits Taiwan Strait amid military drills
9) TX: Camp Mystic, following deadly flooding incident, files for bankruptcy
10) Czech Republic: Constitutional court says president should attend NATO summit
11) Ex-aides win primaries to replace retiring Dem House members
12) YouTube settles with frivolous/vexatious litigant
13) Colombia: Progressive candidate concedes presidential election to Trump-endorsed outsider
14) North Korea: Kim unveils 5,000-ton destroyer, touting nuclear capabilities
15) Trump abruptly cancels signing of housing bill ahead of GOP Senate visit
16) SC: Wilson wins GOP gubernatorial primary
17) France confirms first Ebola case
18) Peru: Fujimori Secures Unbeatable Lead in Presidential Election
19) California union warns of mass exodus with Newsom’s return to office order
20) TX: Anti-gang shooter, seven political prisoners sentenced
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Albania’s Flamingo Revolution: A Fight for Property, Liberty, and the Right to Stay
22) Rich people are not a problem
23) Against Friends, Against Enemies
24) A Republic or an Empire?
25) How does the First Amendment apply to AI?
26) Arkansas schools teachers’ unions, proves education can be improved
27) To celebrate the joy of baby banks
28) Independence Through an Economist’s Eyes
29) The Polite Kind Of Racism
30) Turning Back the Free Speech Recession
31) Mayor Brandon Johnson declares “transfemicide” crisis, ignores hundreds of black deaths
32) Trillionaire Entrepreneurs, Forgotten Risks, and the Politics of Envy
33) Democrats Should Embrace a Deal That Brings Trump’s Iran War to an End
34) Greenspan Was The Perfect Fed Chair. That Is Not a Compliment
35) Undermining the Market
36) The Pandemic Plan Needs to be Torn Up
37) Starmer’s exit exposes dirty secret: UK can’t afford Ukraine War
38) Callais Affects More Than Just Congress
39) State of Failure
40) Your Brain on Rage
41) Trump Is Winning The War on Nonprofits
42) SCOTUS Unanimously Ruled That the Second Amendment Trumps Anti-Drug Sentiment
43) Is Warsh His Own Man?
44) Industrial Policies: Even Modest Intervention Creates Market Distortions
45) How Steve Hilton Can Become California’s Next Governor
46) Mindless Middleness Was Keir Starmer’s Undoing
47) The Memorandum of Understanding With Iran Reeks of Capitulation
48) What If You Eliminated Personal Property Taxes and Nobody Noticed?
49) Greenspan Was the Creator of His Own Disaster
50) Who & What in LA?
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) The Political Orphanage, 06/24/26
52) Reason Interview: Jack Clark
53) Rising, 06/24/26
54) The Corbett Report, episode 505
55) The Good Fight, 06/23/26
56) Freakonomics Radio, 06/23/26
57) Nonzero, 06/23/26
58) Jay Noone on The Mark Edge Show
59) Year Zero with Tommy Salmons, 06/23/26
60) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/23/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Venezuela: At least 32 dead, 700 injured after massive earthquakes
Source: USA Today
“Massive, twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 killed at least 32 people and injured at least 700 others as buildings collapsed across several states in the South American nation, officials said. In an early update on June 25, acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez warned that the death toll is expected to climb as rescuers continue searching through the rubble. … The first quake occurred at around 6:04 p.m. local time about 15 miles east-northeast of San Felipe, Venezuela, data from the U.S. Geological Survey showed. The temblor, initially reported as a magnitude 7.1, had a depth of about 12.6 miles, and its epicenter was west of Morón, a town located on the country’s Caribbean coast. Less than a minute later, the USGS reported a second major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5.” (06/25/26)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2026/06/24/venezuela-earthquake-tsunami-threats/90684878007/
-----
2) Sanctioned ICC judges sue Trump
Source: Courthouse News Service
“Frozen bank accounts, canceled credit cards and blocked travel led three International Criminal Court judges to sue the Trump administration Wednesday, arguing they were punished simply for the cases they decided. In the 66-page complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the trio asks a judge to strike down President Donald Trump’s sanctions order, remove Judges Kimberly Prost, Solomy Bossa and Reine Alapini-Gansou from the U.S. sanctions list, unblock any frozen property and bar the government from enforcing the measures against them. … Trump signed Executive Order 14203 on Feb. 6, 2025, after the ICC pursued investigations involving U.S. personnel in Afghanistan and Israeli leaders over the war in Gaza. The order declared a national emergency and authorized sanctions against foreign nationals involved in ICC investigations or prosecutions targeting U.S. citizens or nationals of allied countries that do not recognize the court’s jurisdiction.” (06/24/26)
https://courthousenews.com/sanctioned-icc-judges-sue-trump-in-new-york/
-----
3) GOP Senators scurry to assure Trump they didn’t really mean it when they voted to end illegal Iran war
Source: The Hill
“The Senate late Wednesday night in a 47-50-1 vote opted not to rebuke the Trump administration a second time over its military conflict in Iran, as leaders convinced some Republican swing votes that doing so would harm the negotiations to end the war. The resolution would have been Congress’[s] way to reassert its power to declare war and directed President Trump to ‘remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force.’ Sen. Rand Paul, who has voted with Democrats for similar resolutions in the past, said in a statement shortly before the vote that he would vote ‘present,’ rather than ‘no,’ to avoid jeopardizing the negotiations.” (06/24/26)
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5939699-senate-gop-gets-back-in-line-with-trump-over-the-iran-war/
-----
4) Ukraine’s latest long-range strikes on Russia hit a major natural gas plant and satellite centers
Source: Associated Press
“Ukrainian forces struck a major natural gas processing plant and two key satellite communications centers in their latest nighttime attacks on Russia, Ukraine’s General Staff said Wednesday. The operation was part of Ukraine’s aerial campaign targeting energy facilities and military industries that has intensified as Kyiv builds bigger and better long-range weapons to ward off Russia’s full-scale invasion, now in its fifth year. In response, Moscow has ordered the redeployment of some air defense systems from Russian regions to the capital and to Crimea’s Kerch Bridge, a crucial link for supplying Russian troops, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The bridge connects the Crimean Peninsula with the Russian mainland.” (06/24/26)
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-crimea-attacks-6076b6666c3312bbf9b4b8d875a52513
-----
5) Bitcoin falls under $60k, but traders anticipate 15% bounce
Source: CoinTelegraph
“Bitcoin (BTC) hit new two-week lows at Wednesday’s Wall Street open as traders predicted a rally to a ‘poor’ lower high. Data from TradingView showed BTC price action dropping below $60,000 for the first time since June 10. Traders had warned of increasing short interest with rising funding rates, boosting the odds of a capitulatory move lower.” (06/24/26)
https://cointelegraph.com/markets/bitcoin-hits-2-week-lows
-----
6) Pew survey: Global confidence in Trump stands at 23%
Source: USA Today
“President Donald Trump likes to boast that under his leadership, the United States is the ‘hottest and most respected Country anywhere in the World.’ However, according to a new Pew Research Center survey, the president’s approval ratings among adults around the globe are at an all-time low. Pew surveyed 42,151 citizens of 36 nations and found that a mere 23% of international respondents expressed confidence in Trump’s leadership on world affairs, while overall sentiment about the United States is ‘largely negative.’ … According to Pew, Indonesia, Italy, Nigeria, South Africa, South Korea and Turkey saw some of the most significant drops in favorable views of the United States, with each tallying double-digit declines over the past year. Of the 36 nations polled, less than 10 view the U.S. favorably. That includes Israel at 81%, followed by 68% of Ghanaians, 63% of Nigerians and Kenyans, 61% of Colombians, 58% of Hungarians and 51% of Peruvians.” (06/24/26)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2026/06/23/pew-survey-global-sentiment-trump-united-states/90664231007/
-----
7) In attempt to deflect blame for results of his Iran fiasco, Trump accuses oil companies of “price gouging,” calls for DOJ probe
Source: NBC News
“President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he had instructed the Justice Department to immediately probe oil companies for not lowering gas prices at the pump in line with falling costs, accusing them of ‘gouging’ consumers. Trump did not name any companies in his late-night message on Truth Social, which was posted shortly after midnight. … the American Petroleum Institute, which represents all of the major U.S. oil and gas companies, said the industry ‘shares the goal of delivering relief at the pump and restoring stability to global energy markets.’ But, ‘gasoline prices don’t move in lockstep with crude oil, especially during a major global disruption that is still affecting supply, refining and inventories,’ API spokesperson Bethany Williams said.” (06/24/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-gas-price-gouging-oil-iran-war-hormuz-doj-rcna351522
-----
8) Chinese regime’s advanced aircraft carrier Fujian transits Taiwan Strait amid military drills
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“The People’s Liberation Army’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian Type 003, transited the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, a day after Taipei launched a combat readiness exercise. Song Zhongping, a military commentator and former PLA instructor, said the Fujian could be heading back to its home port in the southern island province of Hainan for a break before it headed out to the South China Sea for more training. … The transit came a day after Taiwan kicked off a five-day military drill called the Immediate Combat Readiness Exercise, an effort meant to boost the island’s ability to quickly move to a wartime footing.” (06/24/26)
https://archive.is/WfAvZ
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9) TX: Camp Mystic, following deadly flooding incident, files for bankruptcy
Source: ABC News
“Camp Mystic, the Christian all-girls sleepaway camp, filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday, according to court records. The Chapter 11 filing comes nearly a year after a deadly flood killed 25 girls and two teen counselors at the camp’s Guadalupe River location, which is located in the Texas Hill Country. According to the Wednesday filing, Camp Mystic has a debt exceeding $10 million. Paul Yetter, an attorney representing seven victims’ families, said in a statement Wednesday, ‘Bankruptcy will not stop all responsible parties from being held accountable.'” (06/24/26)
https://abcnews.com/US/camp-mystic-site-deadly-texas-flooding-files-bankruptcy/story?id=134165471
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10) Czech Republic: Constitutional court says president should attend NATO summit
Source: Politico
“The Czech Republic’s Constitutional Court issued a preliminary injunction on Wednesday allowing President Petr Pavel to attend the July NATO summit in Ankara. The court’s ruling partially resolves the ongoing dispute between Pavel and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, who announced on Monday that Pavel could not be part of the country’s delegation. Pavel filed a competency lawsuit the following day, seeking clarity on who has the authority to decide whether the head of state may attend the NATO summit. While the court will take up the ultimate question in an expedited manner in the coming weeks, it cited precedent from past presidents’ summit attendance, as well as Friday’s accreditation deadline, as grounds for the immediate injunction.” (06/24/26)
https://www.politico.eu/article/czech-constitutional-court-petr-pavel-nato-summit/
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11) Ex-aides win primaries to replace retiring Dem House members
Source: SFGate
“U.S. Reps. Steny Hoyer and Jerrold Nadler, two of the top Democrats in Congress, are retiring when their terms expire in January, but they will continue to make their imprints on Washington. The pair passed the torch Tuesday night to former aides who won the Democratic primaries to replace them on Capitol Hill, and because both districts are overwhelmingly blue, they are all but certain to win in November and get sworn in to replace their former bosses. Hoyer and Nadler are the latest lawmakers to successfully anoint their successors after spending decades in Congress. Among 68 members of Congress not seeking reelection this year, at least five have endorsed former staffers to replace them and more than a dozen others have, to varying degrees, worked to smooth the path to Capitol Hill for their favored replacements.” (06/24/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/ex-aides-win-primaries-to-replace-retiring-22318270.php
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12) YouTube settles with frivolous/vexatious litigant
Source: Engadget
“Following a similar lawsuit earlier this year, Google has settled with a minor known as ‘R.K.C.’ who claimed that social media platforms harmed them, Reuters reported. Terms of the settlement were confidential, the lawyers said yesterday. The same plaintiff also sued Meta, Snap and TikTok, with those trials set to proceed next month. YouTube has thousands of similar lawsuits pending, so this second case represents a test run for the many to follow. … More than 3,300 [frivolous/vexatious] lawsuits involving social media addiction [sic] are pending in California state courts, and another 2,600 were brought by people, school districts, municipalities and states in California federal court.” (06/24/26)
https://www.engadget.com/2200409/youtube-settles-early-test-case-over-social-media-harm-to-children/
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13) Colombia: Progressive candidate concedes presidential election to Trump-endorsed outsider
Source: SFGate
“Progressive candidate Iván Cepeda on Wednesday conceded Colombia’s presidential election to Abelardo de la Espriella, a conservative outsider who was endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Election results showed de la Espriella, a businessman and lawyer who had never run for office, defeated Cepeda, a lawmaker, by 1 percentage point, or nearly 251,000 votes. ‘We assume with serenity, responsibility, and absolute resolve — and let there be no doubt about it — the role that circumstances demand of us,’ Cepeda said in an address to the nation. ‘We will exercise a democratic, vigilant and constructive opposition.’ The result effectively was an indictment of outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s government, whose policies Cepeda had promised to continue, including a largely failed effort to establish dialogue with multiple armed groups under a plan known as ‘total peace’. Electoral authorities published all but a fraction of the vote count hours after polls closed Sunday.” (06/24/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/progressive-candidate-concedes-colombian-22318679.php
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14) North Korea: Kim unveils 5,000-ton destroyer, touting nuclear capabilities
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“North Korea has commissioned a 5,000-ton destroyer that leader Kim Jong Un touts as a symbol of the country’s growing naval and nuclear capabilities, state media reported on Wednesday, as Pyongyang seeks to expand its ability to project military power at sea. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim told a commissioning ceremony on Tuesday at the western port of Nampo that warships such as the Choe Hyon show that the nuclear armament of his navy is progressing as planned. … After years of spurring ballistic missile development, Kim has shifted his focus more towards naval capabilities, including the ongoing construction of a nuclear-powered submarine. Naval capabilities were also a key focus when Kim outlined his five-year military goals at February’s Workers’ Party congress, which included calls for intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of underwater launches.” (06/24/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20260624-kim-jong-un-unveils-5-000-ton-destroyer-touting-nuclear-capabilities
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15) Trump abruptly cancels signing of housing bill ahead of GOP Senate visit
Source: SFGate
“President Donald Trump ratcheted up tensions with Senate Republicans on Wednesday by abruptly canceling his signing of a bipartisan measure to make housing more affordable. Republicans had hoped to show voters they care about affordability ahead of the November elections. But the president blindsided them by insisting that Congress first pass a bill imposing federal rules on state-run elections. Trump had already planned to lunch Wednesday with GOP senators increasingly frustrated by his diversions from the party’s agenda and his unclear Iran war strategy. Trump also has a face-to-face Wednesday with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, two weeks ahead of the annual summit of the military alliance, as the Pentagon reviews the U.S. military footprint in Europe.” (06/24/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/the-latest-trump-will-head-to-capitol-to-speak-22318468.php
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16) SC: Wilson wins GOP gubernatorial primary
Source: NBC News
“State Attorney General Alan Wilson has won the Republican nomination for governor of South Carolina, NBC News projected Tuesday, after a closely watched runoff that featured President Donald Trump’s unusual double endorsement of two candidates. Wilson is now heavily favored heading into the general election in South Carolina’s first open governor’s race since 2010. Republican Gov. Henry McMaster was term-limited and could not seek re-election. Democratic candidate Jermaine Johnson won his primary this month.” (06/23/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/south-carolina-governor-runoff-election-winner-wilson-rcna351122
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17) France confirms first Ebola case
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“France has confirmed its first case of Ebola – a doctor who had returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The doctor was ‘immediately admitted to a specialised facility’ and is in a stable condition, the French health ministry said on Wednesday. DR Congo announced an Ebola outbreak last month, but experts believe the virus had been circulating for weeks previously. More than 260 people are confirmed to have died from the virus in the central African country, while 1,000 people have been infected. This is the first Ebola case to have been confirmed in Europe, although an American doctor who tested positive in DR Congo was treated at a German hospital last month. DR Congo’s neighbour, Uganda, has also confirmed Ebola cases. The World Health Organization (WHO) says 20 people are known to have been infected there and two deaths have been confirmed.” (06/24/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj9gzr9rdjlo
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18) Peru: Fujimori Secures Unbeatable Lead in Presidential Election
Source: US News & World Report
“Conservative Keiko Fujimori gained an insurmountable lead in Peru’s presidential runoff late on Tuesday, setting her on track to assume the presidency. Fujimori, a four-time presidential hopeful and the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, now has 50.11% of the votes, putting her ahead of leftist rival Roberto Sanchez by 43,386 votes. There remain only 40,213 potential votes to be counted, according to data from Peru’s ONPE electoral authority. The electoral authority has yet to officially declare a winner and plans to do so in mid-July. Fujimori’s expected victory deepens Latin America’s rightward shift, following outsider Abelardo De La Espriella’s election in Colombia on Sunday. Voters concerned about crime have flocked to hardline candidates. Earlier on Tuesday, Sanchez alleged that ‘fraud was underway,’ without providing evidence, and said he would refuse to recognize the results of the election, raising the prospect of a prolonged political crisis in Peru.” (06/24/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-06-24/right-wing-fujimori-secures-unbeatable-lead-in-peru-presidential-election
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19) California union warns of mass exodus with Newsom’s return to office order
Source: SFGate
“California state workers are challenging a new mandate requiring them to return to the office four days a week starting July 1, as lawmakers advance a bill to ensure telework options. A billboard off a Sacramento highway warns of future traffic jams caused by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order. State workers argue they have been working efficiently under hybrid schedules since the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘Since COVID we have been working and doing the jobs and being efficient and doing the jobs to keep California running,’ said Anica Walls, the president of SEIU Local 1000, which represents state workers in Sacramento. ‘This mandate as overarching as it does not give departments the space to bring back our workers as needed.’ It’s not clear which departments exactly are struggling with space and how the Newsom administration is handling it. A spokesman with California’s Government Operations Agency declined an interview request with California Politics 360.” (06/21/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/california-return-to-office-22314184.php
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20) TX: Anti-gang shooter, seven political prisoners sentenced
Source: Associated Press
“A former U.S. Marine reservist and seven others were sentenced Tuesday to decades in prison over a shooting last year that wounded a police officer during a demonstration at a Texas immigration [concentration camp]. Prosecutors called the crime an act of terrorism and said the eight were linked to the leftist militant group antifa. The defendants’ attorneys denied any antifa ties and family members expressed shock and anger over the stiff sentences. Benjamin Song, the Marine reservist who was convicted of opening fire during the July 4 demonstration outside the Prairieland [concentration camp] near Dallas, was sentenced to 100 years in prison, the maximum punishment. The seven others sentenced in Fort Worth courtrooms received prison terms ranging from 30 to 70 years.” (06/23/26)
https://apnews.com/article/prairieland-detention-center-shooting-sentencing-1eb7a8ac32dbb637e027709ae010f374
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Albania’s Flamingo Revolution: A Fight for Property, Liberty, and the Right to Stay
Source: Liberty International
by Kozeta Çuadari Çika
“Albania is experiencing its most significant civic mobilisation since the fall of communism, fuelled by the massive anti-government demonstrations known as the ‘Flamingo Revolution.’ What began as a localised environmental protest against a multi-billion-dollar luxury resort development has escalated into a nationwide revolt. Hundreds of thousands of citizens of all ages are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and his administration. The initial catalyst for the unrest was a development project valued at between $4.6 billion and $5.7 billion, backed by Affinity Partners — an investment firm led by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. The project targets the pristine, uninhabited Sazan Island and the environmentally sensitive Vjosa-Narta protected coastal zone near the village of Zvërnec. First of all, major transparency concerns have arisen over how coastal land titles were transferred to private entities.” (06/24/26)
https://liberty-intl.org/2026/06/24/albanias-flamingo-revolution-a-fight-for-property-liberty-and-the-right-to-stay/
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22) Rich people are not a problem
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“No one gets to decide what others need. As long as they aren’t stealing it, it’s none of your business. If someone earns a quadrillion dollars by giving customers what they want and by filling a niche, they aren’t a problem. It’s a positive thing for society, and only ignorant people get upset over it. It’s trendy to hate rich people. It’s also incredibly stupid. Most of the people upset over ‘excessive’ wealth — such as the tax-addicted politicians and their followers — contribute nothing. Takers envy makers. For a millionaire politician to demand that a billionaire entrepreneur hand over some percentage of his money is dishonest. The entrepreneur contributes; the politician is a parasite who only takes.” (06/24/26)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2026/06/24/voices/opinion-rich-people-are-not-a-problem/233710.html
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23) Against Friends, Against Enemies
Source: Liberalism.org
by Jason Kuznicki
“Suppose I want commercial pineapple harvesters to enjoy good lives today. Most of them aren’t in Hawaiʻi anymore; they’re in Costa Rica. Should I import my pineapples from them? (Import pineapples? To Hawaiʻi? Surely not.) But to avoid eating imported pineapples impoverishes Costa Rican field hands. It might take away the only work they have, such as it is. When I grow at home, that’s what I’m doing, if only to a tiny degree. Buying from my neighbors, who sell at the farmers’ markets, achieves the same end; the descendants of plantation workers here in Hawaiʻi are usually much wealthier than today’s Costa Rican field hands. Yet if I were to return to the globalized market, I might just fatten some Costa Rican landlords. I want to ask: Where are the limits to any of these intuitions?” (06/24/26)
https://www.liberalism.org/p/against-friends-against-enemies
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24) A Republic or an Empire?
Source: Antiwar.com
by Andrew P Napolitano
“In a constitutional republic, government may only take liberty and property pursuant to law and only from those who have consented by granting those powers to the government in the constitution that created it; and any exercise of any powers not consented to by the governed is assaultive of natural rights, is beyond the government’s moral and constitutional authority, is morally illicit and of no legal validity. In an empire, the government has no limits. It does whatever the head of state wants. It denies the enforceability of international norms, enriches itself at the people’s expense, takes property without the consent of the governed, violates natural rights, starts wars to please constituent groups, murders people without trial whom it claims have violated its laws, suppresses foreign people and tells them how to live, and even kidnaps their leaders.” (06/24/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2026/06/23/a-republic-or-an-empire
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25) How does the First Amendment apply to AI?
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Education
by Tyler Tone
“Far from authorless, AI models are built by a long chain of expressive decisions meriting First Amendment coverage.” (06/24/26)
https://www.fire.org/news/how-does-first-amendment-apply-ai
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26) Arkansas schools teachers’ unions, proves education can be improved
Source: Fox News Forum
by Jonathan Turley
“For years, I have been writing about the decline of public education in the United States. The political power of teachers[‘] unions led to bloated budgets as schools pursued ideological agendas over educational advancements. Despite massive budgets, scores of students in major cities have continued to plummet or remain at the same dismal levels. Now, Arkansas has shown what is possible if officials put education first. Scores in the state have soared after the implementation of reforms that many of us have advocated for years. It also shows that state governments, not the federal government, are critical to reversing our slide in educational performance as the administration moves toward eliminating the Department of Education. Arkansas implemented a new program and testing protocol called the ‘Arkansas Teaching, Learning and Assessment System’, or ATLAS, with a mix of higher pay for teachers, performance-based bonuses and a voucher system for families.” (06/24/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/jonathan-turley-arkansas-schools-teachers-unions-proves-education-improved
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27) To celebrate the joy of baby banks
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Tim Worstall
“Some are deluded enough to think that this is a problem: ‘About 400,000 UK children supported by baby banks, up 11% on previous year’ … This is, of course, a glory of our society. Babbies and their mothers are supported. This is achieved entirely by the efforts of society itself, the little platoons. There is no intervention by the Lanyard Class, no compulsory confiscation to pay for it all, just Britons geting together to aid Britons. How glorious it is etc. … The correct response to this is to send ‘em the occasional £50 and leave well alone. Why mess with what works?” (06/24/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/to-celebrate-the-joy-of-baby-banks
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28) Independence Through an Economist’s Eyes
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Angelo Monaco
“While the Declaration of Independence is frequently lauded as a masterpiece of political philosophy, I have always held that beneath its revolutionary rhetoric lies a sophisticated blueprint for a liberal economic order. Far from a mere catalog of political grievances, the document functions as a definitive rejection of the British economic system, asserting that the ‘pursuit of happiness’ is inextricably linked to the individual’s right to self-ownership, vocation, and the unencumbered exchange of labor. By grounding the legitimacy of government in the protection of pre-political, unalienable rights — most notably the security of property against arbitrary taxation and the freedom to trade with ‘all parts of the world’ — Jefferson and the Continental Congress established the moral and legal infrastructure necessary for a spontaneous market order.” (06/24/26)
https://www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/independence-through-an-economists-eyes/
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29) The Polite Kind Of Racism
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“There are two types of racism in the west: the kind that’s considered acceptable in polite liberal society, and the kind that’s widely frowned upon. The acceptable type of racism is the kind which considers it fine and normal to drop bombs on Muslim families overseas. The kind which sees starvation sanctions as a minor issue whose pros and cons are assessed solely on the basis of whether they will be successful or unsuccessful in achieving regime change. The kind which views imperialist extraction from the global south as the natural order of the world, with centrists and progressives squabbling only about how evenly that plunder should be distributed among westerners. The unacceptable type of racism is the kind which affects other westerners. The kind whose consequences western liberals have to see.” [editor’s note: Muslims aren’t a race – TLK] (06/24/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/06/24/the-polite-kind-of-racism/
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30) Turning Back the Free Speech Recession
Source: Law & Liberty
by Adam Tomkins
“The principal argument of The Future of Free Speech is that, when compared with this ‘golden age’ of the late twentieth century, free speech is now ‘in recession.’ The authors are impassioned about this. They lament it at length, and in the final (short) section of the book, they offer what they consider to be a better way ahead. The success (or otherwise) of this book hinges far more on the accuracy and quality of the authors’ account of the present than it does on their proposals for the future (which occupy only its last forty or so pages). Sadly, the authors are unpersuasive. This is not only because of their addiction to jet-setting. It is also due to their treatment being somewhat scattergun and to it being overly one-sided.” (06/24/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/turning-back-the-free-speech-recession/
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31) Mayor Brandon Johnson declares “transfemicide” crisis, ignores hundreds of black deaths
Source: New York Post
by Karol Markowicz
“Chicago, Chicago, that toddling town: Or it was some time ago when Frank Sinatra sang about it. Now it’s in the throes of something called a ‘Transfemicide State of Emergency’, according to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, with no time for a little toddling around the dance floor. Posting to his X account, Johnson announced in all apparent seriousness: ‘Since declaring a Transfemicide State of Emergency, our administration has strengthened the City’s capacity to support LGBTQ+ Chicagoans.’ … You may think such a thing is necessary because of the many, many murders of trans Chicagoans happening daily. In fact, only one trans person was killed in Chicago in all of last year — and the incident appears to have been a matter of domestic violence unrelated to their trans status.” (06/23/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/06/23/opinion/mayor-brandon-johnson-declares-a-transfemicide-crisis-ignores-hundreds-of-black-deaths/
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32) Trillionaire Entrepreneurs, Forgotten Risks, and the Politics of Envy
Source: The Daily Economy
by Stefan Bartl
“Once entrepreneurial success arrives, few recall the risks, ridicule, failed ventures, sleepless nights, and near-disasters that came before.” (06/24/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/trillionaire-entrepreneurs-forgotten-risks-and-the-politics-of-envy/
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33) Democrats Should Embrace a Deal That Brings Trump’s Iran War to an End
Source: The Progressive
by Stephen Zunes
“Many of the criticisms being leveled against the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran (namely, that it is not that great a deal) are accurate and worthy of attention. But under the disastrous set of circumstances resulting from the US-Israeli war on Iran, it is probably the best deal that can be realistically hoped for, given that Iran clearly has the upper hand. Unfortunately, that has not stopped some Washington politicians, including many prominent Democrats, from attempting to undermine it.” (06/23/26)
https://progressive.org/latest/trumps-deal-with-iran-is-good-enough-zunes-20260623/
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34) Greenspan Was The Perfect Fed Chair. That Is Not a Compliment
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Connor O’Keeffe
“On Monday, Alan Greenspan died at age 100. The former Federal Reserve Chair spent eighteen and a half years at the helm of the central bank from 1987 to 2006—a total of five terms under four presidents. As with any death of a prominent figure, the news led many to reflect on Greenspan’s legacy and, in this case, debate how he stacks up with other Federal Reserve chairs. … this entire discussion is flawed. Because it rests on the false assumption that the Federal Reserve and all its intellectual backers in the political class can be taken at their word: that the Fed is an institution that is genuinely capable of and interested in bringing about a stable, growing economy, and, therefore, that a good Fed Chair is someone who simply manages the economy well. That is all a lie.” (06/24/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/greenspan-was-perfect-fed-chair-not-compliment
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35) Undermining the Market
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Arman Sidhu
“There is a contradiction at the heart of the G7’s new approach to critical minerals. When the Group of Seven closed its summit in Évian-les-Bains on June 17, it issued a statement insisting that these supply chains should be ‘governed by market principles.’ Yet almost every measure the alliance endorsed would put governments in charge instead.” (06/24/26)
https://fee.org/articles/undermining-the-market/
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36) The Pandemic Plan Needs to be Torn Up
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Jeffrey A Tucker
“The closest thing we have in this country to a pandemic plan is called the Pandemic Action Crisis Plan or PanCap. It remains the prevailing unclassified document. It posits stay-at-home orders, school closures, business shutdowns, office closures, travel restrictions, testing, track-and-trace, and the creation and distribution of countermeasures called vaccines. … This approach has no precedent in the long history of public health. The old way was to keep calm, understand the illness, treat those affected, and use rational approaches to mitigate the impacts. The new way invented in 2005 is about command and control, pretending to manage the microbial kingdom like an engineering project.” (06/24/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/the-pandemic-plan-needs-to-be-torn-up/
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37) Starmer’s exit exposes dirty secret: UK can’t afford Ukraine War
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Ian Proud
“Sir Keir Starmer bowed to the inevitable Monday and resigned from leadership of the Labour Party and, therefore, from his role as prime minister. The resignation had been brewing for some time. While Starmer led the Labour Party to an astounding landslide election victory in July 2024, by September 2025, he was already being labeled the most unpopular prime minister since polling began; this followed a series of U-turns and poorly handled crises. After heavy losses of council seats in local elections in May, the Labour Party moved quickly to remove him. Former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is expected to become prime minister after an internal Labour Party leadership contest. (Labour maintains a majority in parliament, so it maintains the right to form a government.) Burnham will quickly find that he doesn’t have the money to fix public services, double defense spending, and continue to fund an unwinnable war in Ukraine.” (06/24/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/uk-burnham-starmer-ukraine/
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38) Callais Affects More Than Just Congress
Source: Liberal Currents
by Steve Kennedy
“Most attention surrounding Callais has focused on congressional maps, particularly in Louisiana and other Southern states where Black voters have successfully challenged racially discriminatory district lines since the passage of the VRA. But the decision will have effects up and down the ballot, including for races as consequential as for state supreme courts.” (06/24/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/callais-affects-more-than-just-congress/
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39) State of Failure
Source: Quillette
by Brian Stewart
“Trump ignored Clausewitz, and disaster ensued.” (06/24/26)
https://quillette.com/2026/06/24/state-of-failure-iran-israel-trump-epic-fury/
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40) Your Brain on Rage
Source: CounterPunch
by Tom H Hastings
“I was riding my bike to work, a fun 7-mile commute in a city with bike lanes and a general respect for those who bicycle. Still, a bike vs auto or truck? No chance for the bike rider. … Sure enough, a truck veered right into my lane, the skinny bike lane only separated from auto traffic by a line of paint. I shifted to my extreme right, almost up against the curb. Another couple of inches and the truck would have ended me. In the moment I yelled and gave him a rude gesture with a middle finger. Um … I teach peace, I train deëscalation, and yet … It was the dreaded amygdala hijack, the rising up of the most primitive part of the brain, the limbic lizard brain, taking control when extreme fear activates it.” (06/24/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/06/24/your-brain-on-rage/
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41) Trump Is Winning The War on Nonprofits
Source: Common Dreams
by Phil Buchanan & Elisha Smith Arrillaga
“Since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, his administration has waged war on nonprofits. Actions have included federal funding cuts to the tune of billions of dollars, targeting of specific organizations with investigations or indictments, and threats to tax-exempt status. While some efforts have been turned back by the courts, the administration has been unrelenting and, sadly, every American community will suffer as a result of this sustained attack. Presidential announcements warn of ‘anti-American NGOs’ and allege without any credible evidence that networks of nonprofits are acting as ‘domestic terrorist organizations’. Recently, the administration issued proposed regulations intended to impose sweeping new restrictions on nonprofits that receive federal funding—including that such organizations not advance diversity, equity, and inclusion or assist in voter registration.” (06/24/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-war-nonprofits
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42) SCOTUS Unanimously Ruled That the Second Amendment Trumps Anti-Drug Sentiment
Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum
“The Supreme Court has a history of facilitating the war on drugs by whittling away at civil liberties, to the point that critics have long perceived a ‘drug exception’ to the Bill of Rights. But last week, when the justices unanimously upheld the gun rights of cannabis consumers, they made it clear that there is no drug exception to the Second Amendment.” (06/24/26)
https://reason.com/2026/06/24/scotus-unanimously-ruled-that-the-second-amendment-trumps-anti-drug-sentiment/
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43) Is Warsh His Own Man?
Source: The American Conservative
by David Brady
“The Fed chair’s first meeting was largely uneventful but laid the groundwork of challenges for his tenure.” (06/24/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/is-warsh-his-own-man/
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44) Industrial Policies: Even Modest Intervention Creates Market Distortions
Source: Cato Institute
by Jeffrey Miron
“Industrial policy — government efforts to favor certain sectors, technologies, or firms — has a long history. Far from a fringe idea, politicians across the spectrum have promoted such policies for centuries. But the results are far more problematic than its current popularity suggests.” (06/23/26)
https://www.cato.org/blog/industrial-policies
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45) How Steve Hilton Can Become California’s Next Governor
Source: Town Hall
by Edward Ring
“A very successful businessman (and a major contributor to Democratic Party candidates and causes) once explained to me why he talked, acted, and thought like a Republican but never considered supporting any Republican candidate, ever. ‘We’ve already got the Republicans’, he told me. This is the transactional essence behind corporate support for Democrats in California, the one-party state. Republicans have no political power, and whenever the Democrats in the state legislature are surprisingly split on a matter of concern to business interests, the handful of Republican politicians will invariably cast pro-business votes. This has been going on for a long time. Democrats have controlled both houses of the state legislature since 1997 and the governorship since 2011. A signature moment came in 2010 when Jerry Brown defeated the hapless billionaire Republican Meg Whitman to begin his second two-term stint as governor.” (06/24/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/06/24/how-steve-hilton-can-become-californias-next-governor/
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46) Mindless Middleness Was Keir Starmer’s Undoing
Source: The UnPopulist
by Berny Belvedere
“Rather than govern on the strength of his supermajority in Parliament, Starmer governed as though he had something to fear, spending his majority appeasing not the Conservatives he had beaten but a Reform he chased rightward as it climbed. Starmer had room to govern boldly. Instead, he governed in a crouch. … The bet was that the right’s goods in gentler packaging would deny the right its market. It failed twice over. The voters he hoped to hold by sounding tougher did not stay; they went to the people who meant it. The voters he might have inspired got nothing to be inspired by. He alienated the left without satisfying the right.” (06/23/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/mindless-middleness-was-keir-starmers
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47) The Memorandum of Understanding With Iran Reeks of Capitulation
Source: Exiled Policy
by Jason Pye
“As unhappy as Israel may be about it, there appears to be a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MOU) between the United States and Iran. The MOU isn’t a final deal. It really only functions as a framework. Of course, it’s fragile. The durability of the MOU remains uncertain given broader regional tensions, including Israeli operations in Lebanon. Negotiations for a formal agreement are underway in Switzerland, and progress has been reported. The elephant in the room is what the MOU says, specifically regarding reconstruction, economic development, and sanctions relief.” (06/23/26)
https://exiledpolicy.substack.com/p/the-memorandum-of-understanding-with
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48) What If You Eliminated Personal Property Taxes and Nobody Noticed?
Source: Show-Me Institute
by David Stokes
“There is a lot of ongoing discussion about eliminating personal property taxes. There have been bills introduced to eliminate them. It’s a major topic of debate around the state, particularly in St. Charles County. Personal property taxes are the taxes levied on your car, boat, livestock, business equipment, farm equipment, and more. … if personal property taxes were eliminated, the Hancock Amendment would allow local governments to then raise real property taxes by the amount lost in personal property taxes. So, if the state eliminated all personal property taxes statewide, it would likely end up as a revenue-neutral switch where we taxed land and buildings slightly more and taxed mobile assets not at all while removing a tax that most people find particularly annoying. I think that would be a modestly beneficial switch; I just don’t want to sell it as a tax cut.” (06/23/26)
https://showmeinstitute.org/article/economy/what-if-you-eliminated-personal-property-taxes-and-nobody-noticed/
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49) Greenspan Was the Creator of His Own Disaster
Source: The American Prospect
by Chris Hughes
“Alan Greenspan’s obituary writers want to credit him with a single, flattering flaw: that he trusted markets too much. That charge is too generous, because Greenspan never left markets to run themselves. He used the power of the Fed to cultivate and reward financial innovation, making the financial system more fragile for it. Often misunderstood as an Ayn Rand acolyte, Greenspan was not a true libertarian. His creed was not ‘leave the market alone’ as much as it was to use the tools of the government to make the market faster and more inventive — and then stand by to catch it when it falls. Those actions fueled the soaring inequality and the economic crash of 2008. Greenspan was no bystander watching markets obey some ineffable logic. His obsession with financial innovation set the stage for the crisis.” (06/24/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/06/24/alan-greenspan-creator-of-his-own-disaster/
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50) Who & What in LA?
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Last week, the Los Angeles City Council voted to place a charter amendment on the November 3 ballot to facilitate giving noncitizens a vote in city elections.” [editor’s note: Presumably “noncitizen” means “noncitizen of the US,” not “noncitizen of LA.” Sort of like how, as a US citizen, I get to vote in US elections whether I’m also a citizen of France or not – TLK] (06/23/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/06/23/who-what-in-la
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) The Political Orphanage, 06/24/26
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Zuby Grew up in a Company Town.” (06/24/26)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/zuby-grew-up-in-a-company-town
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52) Reason Interview: Jack Clark
Source: Reason
“Is AI Really Taking All the Jobs? Anthropic Co-Founder Reveals the Data.” (06/24/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/06/24/anthropic-co-founder-the-most-powerful-technology-ever-built/
-----
53) Rising, 06/24/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave delivers his radar responding to podcaster Theo Von’s latest viral clip where he takes a hardline stance against data centers.” (06/24/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/5931931-rising-june-24-2026/
-----
54) The Corbett Report, episode 505
Source: The Corbett Report
“I Read The Palantir Manifesto.” (06/23/26)
https://corbettreport.com/i-read-the-palantir-manifesto/
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55) The Good Fight, 06/23/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Mark Leonard on Whether Europe is Doomed.” (06/23/26)
https://writing.yaschamounk.com/p/mark-leonard
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56) Freakonomics Radio, 06/23/26
Source: Freakonomics
“The World Is (Still) Drowning in Sludge.” (06/23/26)
https://freakonomics.com/podcast/the-world-is-still-drowning-in-sludge/
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57) Nonzero, 06/23/26
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“AI and Our Coming Cosmic Reckoning | Robert Wright & Nikita Petrov.” (06/23/26)
https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/69566
-----
58) Jay Noone on The Mark Edge Show
Source: Free Talk Live
“Jay Noone has built something most people only talk about: a real community of like minded families on a working farm in New Hampshire, where kids learn blacksmithing, animal butchering, diesel mechanics, and how to carry themselves as competent, self reliant people.” (06/23/26)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/mesjaynoone
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59) Year Zero with Tommy Salmons, 06/23/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Usury and the Soul of Orthodoxy w/Fr Emmanuel Lemelson.” (06/23/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/usury-and-the-soul-of-orthodoxy-w-fr-emmanuel-lemelson/
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60) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/23/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Congress Passes Iran War Powers Resolution, US Launched 68 Airstrikes in Somalia This Year, and More.” (06/23/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyW63gY1VVc
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