Philippines: Regime Asks Court to Deny Petition of Senator Sought by ICC

Source: Bloomberg

“The Philippine government asked the Supreme Court to deny a petition by Senator Ronald Dela Rosa to stop his arrest after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant on allegations of crimes against humanity. The government’s executive branch can enforce the ICC arrest warrant, the Office of the Solicitor General said in a comment filed to the court on Saturday and made public Sunday. … Dela Rosa was chief of police from 2016 to 2018, when ex-president Rodrigo Duterte waged a crackdown on illegal drugs that killed thousands. Dela Rosa went on to win a Senate seat in 2019 and was reelected last year. He maintains the ICC has no jurisdiction over the Philippines.” (05/17/26)

https://archive.is/42oJc

Trump Accounts and the No Economist Left Behind Test

Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker

“Back when George W. Bush was doing his big drive to privatize Social Security, I got upset because he was using bogus numbers that grossly exaggerated what his private accounts would yield. The basic story was that his team assumed that stocks would provide the same returns they had in prior decades, even though the price-to-earnings ratios in the stock market were far higher than in the past, and projected GDP and profit growth were much lower. Given the assumptions being used on profit growth, their assumptions on returns were virtually impossible. To illustrate this point, I developed the ‘No Economist Left Behind Test.’ … If the Bush Team could get away with promising an impossible bonanza from their accounts, privatization would look much better than it actually is. It was important to set the record straight.” (05/15/26)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/05/15/trump-accounts-and-the-no-economist-left-behind-test/

Free Talk Live, 05/16/26

Source: Free Talk Live

“Bonnie’s tattoo removal so far :: Super meth – real or drug war propaganda? :: Spencer Pratt the reality tv star turn mayoral candidate who is homeless but going to fix the homelessness problem in LA :: The Roomba guy wants to replace pets with robots :: 2026-05-16 :: Hosts: Bonnie, Angelo, Riley O’Bill.” (05/16/26)

https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/ftl2026-05-16

The Electoral College and American Freedom

Source: Town Hall
by Jerry Newcombe

“As we celebrate America at 250, there is a part of our founding in the Constitution (Article II, Section 1, Clause 2), about which some on the left gnash their teeth — the Electoral College. For example, a few days ago, a former Biden administration official asked publicly, ‘What if we selected our President by letting the person who got the most votes take the office, instead of the Electoral College?’ … Meanwhile, many blue states, including just recently Virginia, have signed on to a compact to try and effectively nullify the Electoral College.” [editor’s note: To make the EC relevant to today, they only need to follow the lead of Maine and Nebraska, and DECENTRALIZE it – SAT] (05/16/26)

https://townhall.com/columnists/jerrynewcombe/2026/05/16/the-electoral-college-and-american-freedom-n2676044

Venezuela: Regime says it has deported close ally of Maduro to face criminal proceedings in US

Source: SFGate

“Venezuela’s government said Saturday it deported a close ally of Nicolás Maduro facing several criminal investigations in the U.S. less than three years after the businessman was pardoned by President Joe Biden as part of a prisoner swap. The decision marks a stark reversal for Alex Saab, who Maduro fought tooth and nail to bring home after his previous international arrest in 2020. Now, the Colombian-born insider, long described by U.S. officials as Maduro’s ‘bag man,’ may be asked to testify against his former protector, who is awaiting trial on drug charges in Manhattan after being captured in a shock raid by the U.S. military in January.” (05/16/26)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/venezuela-says-it-deported-close-ally-of-maduro-22262638.php

The Trump-Xi summit was a battle of two waning superpowers

Source: spiked
by James Woudhuysen

“America is in long-term decline, but it has proved more resilient than critics allow. But China too now encounters unmistakable problems. The US is growing, but saddled with burgeoning debt – and China also has trouble brewing in that domain. Of course, Trump faces domestic dissent – but so, in a very different form, does the CCP. China has long had too much housing built, is heavily indebted and is hurtling towards a demographic cliff.” (05/15/26)

https://archive.is/zZOGb

SCOTUS rejects bid to revive Democrats’ Virginia redistricting plan

Source: Politico

“Virginia Democrats’ last-ditch bid to revive their plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts to gain additional Democratic seats fizzled out Friday at the Supreme Court as the justices refused to restore the results of the referendum voters approved last month. Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones asked the nation’s highest court to take emergency action to block a Virginia Supreme Court ruling earlier this month that nullified the referendum after concluding that it violated the state’s constitution. The emergency appeal found no traction at the Supreme Court. A one-sentence order released shortly after Jones filed his final brief on the appeal said Chief Justice John Roberts referred the stay request to the full bench, which denied relief.” (05/15/26)

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/15/supreme-court-democrats-virginia-redistricting-00925046