Source: The Guardian [UK]
“At least 24 people, including three children, were reported killed in yesterday’s Russian attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The death toll update came after a night of search and rescue operations. ‘The Russians practically demolished an entire section of the building with their missile,’ president Zelenskyy said after visiting the site in Kyiv. The Ukrainian ministry of foreign affairs said it was ‘one of the deadliest attacks on Kyiv since the start of Russia’s full-scale war.’ … Separately, Russia and Ukraine have reportedly exchanged 205 prisoners of war each, which Zelenskyy said was the first part of a broader swap of 1,000 for 1,000.” (05/15/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/may/15/russian-attack-kyiv-ukraine-europe-live-updates-latest
Source: Reason
by Stephanie Slade
“Listening to two prominent progressives highlight the cronyism and inefficiencies of government bureaucracy that libertarians have been shouting about for decades was equal parts refreshing and infuriating. But if you were tempted to hope those realizations would bring them around to genuinely libertarian conclusions, you would be disappointed. Ultimately, as the second half of the podcast made clear, [Ezra] Klein and his allies support streamlining government because they hope to make it easier for government to do big, ambitious things: nationwide high-speed rail, federal housing projects, Medicare for All. They are not trying to get government out of the way so people can thrive; they want government itself to thrive. That distinction is the main problem with the hypothesis that Democrats will soon be the party of free markets and limited government.” (05/14/26)
https://reason.com/2026/05/14/are-democrats-now-the-party-of-free-markets-dont-bet-on-it/
Source: Try Liberty with Steven Nekhaila
“When the Primary Source Disappears, So Does the Truth | Ford Fischer.” (05/14/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrsMkSM73aM
Source: The Hill
“Abortion pills can remain available through the mail for the immediate future after the Supreme Court on Thursday paused a lower court ruling that would have blocked access while a lawsuit proceeds. The justices halted a May 1 order from the conservative U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit that reinstated a requirement that women must visit a health care provider in-person to obtain mifepristone. If it had taken effect, the order would have severely curtailed abortion access across the country. Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented separately. ‘The Court’s unreasoned order granting stays in this case is remarkable. What is at stake is the perpetration of a scheme to undermine our decision’ overturning constitutional [sic] abortion rights, Alito wrote.” (05/14/26)
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5879032-mifepristone-abortion-pills-ruling/
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“On May 11, a new law went into effect in Florida, ‘allowing’ businesses to round the amounts charged for cash purchases to the nearest nickel. Really? Nothing more important than this for our masters in Tallahassee to spend their time on? Don’t get me wrong. The practice in question makes sense …. But why on Earth would merchants need a law to ‘allow’ this? … Even when framed as ‘voluntary’ — as this one is — unnecessary laws ‘allowing’ behaviors already unquestionably ‘allowed’ (by common sense and conventional morality) tend to nudge the public toward an ‘everything not required is forbidden’ mindset in which we instinctively seek permission from our rulers for every action, trivial or momentous.” (05/14/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20615
Source: Le Monde [France]
“Israeli authorities will take The New York Times to court over a piece it published denouncing alleged widespread sexual abuse against Palestinian detainees, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday, May 15. Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar have ordered the ‘initiation of a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times,’ according to a joint statement issued by their offices. … The investigation, which was published on Monday as an opinion piece by Kristof, a columnist, is based on testimonies gathered in the Israeli-occupied West Bank from 14 men and women who said that they had been sexually assaulted by Israeli settlers or members of the security forces. … The New York Times responded that any legal claim over the ‘deeply reported opinion column’ lacked merit.” (05/14/26)
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/05/14/israel-to-sue-nyt-over-report-on-sexual-abuse-of-palestinian-inmates_6753458_4.html
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“The libertarian movement can be divided into two basic groups: libertarians who call for reforming welfare-warfare state programs and libertarians who call for dismantling welfare-warfare state programs. I fall within the latter group. Why? Because I want to be free. Reform doesn’t get me freedom. At best it gets me a better serfdom. That’s nice, but it’s not want I want for the rest of my life. I want to be free, and only by dismantling infringements on freedom can I attain genuine freedom.” (05/14/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/05/14/welfare-warfare-state-reform-is-not-freedom/
Source: euronews [EU]
“Iran’s Revolutionary Guards-linked media are pushing for Tehran to impose charges on the submarine fibre-optic cables running through the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that the waterway’s role in global digital infrastructure could generate billions of dollars and give Iran a new pressure point against the West. Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the IRGC, proposed that Iran charge transit fees to the international consortia that own and operate the cables, offer maintenance services, and require companies — including Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon — to operate under Iranian regulations.” (05/15/26)
https://www.euronews.com/2026/05/15/iran-eyes-fees-on-hormuz-internet-cables-as-new-lever-against-the-west
Source: Antiwar.com
by Andrew P Napolitano
“Last week, when the Pentagon resumed its attacks on small boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean, the media barely noticed. The U.S. military has now destroyed 56 vessels and killed 190 persons. The killings began in September 2025 and have continued to this month. … Killing survivors is expressly prohibited by federal law as well as by the Uniform Code of Military Justice. And, of course, ordering the killing of innocents is always unlawful. So, the Pentagon made two changes. It produced more lethal strikes so as not to be burdened with the problem of survivors, and it either stopped killing survivors or stopped revealing that it killed them.” (05/14/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2026/05/13/when-killing-becomes-commonplace/
Source: WIBA 1310 News
“Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks has resigned, according to a report from Fox News. Banks, who took on the role at the start of President Trump’s second term, steps down amid serious allegations. Reports from the Washington Examiner claim that Banks engaged in sex tourism, visiting countries like Colombia and Thailand to pay for sex with prostitutes. These activities reportedly occurred over a decade and were known among colleagues. The allegations have sparked controversy, especially given the Border Patrol’s mission to combat human trafficking. Banks'[s] behavior was reportedly investigated twice by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) but was closed without action.” (05/14/26)
https://wiba.iheart.com/content/2026-05-14-border-patrol-chief-mike-banks-resigns-amid-allegations/
