“Samantha and guest Keira Havens talk Thomas Massie’s recent attempt to impeach Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. They discuss the mechanics and politics of impeachment, the role of accountability, and what it means to regain a sense of ourselves as constitutional actors.” (09/20/26)
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“Criteria exist to qualify for some desirable outcome: getting into college, getting tenure, getting someone to marry you, getting students to come to your law school. Individuals spend resources gaming the system, taking advantage of an imperfect match between the criteria and the characteristics they are designed to select for. Colleges want smart students, use SAT scores and high school grades to recognize them. An SAT prep course doesn’t make you smarter but it might raise your score, so students spend time and money on them. Cheating on exams doesn’t make you smarter either but might raise your grades. … The same mechanism gives us news stories we cannot trust.” (09/20/26)
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey
“Government does not have an inherent right to your wealth. Every dollar the state fails to collect is a dollar you keep. Local governments will need to reduce their budgets to match the lower revenue. They should not expect endless financial growth at our expense.” (09/20/26)
“The White House has begun drafting a new executive order that could further cement President Trump’s ability to control billions of dollars in scientific grants funded by the National Institutes of Health. Discussed at a highly contentious meeting at the White House on Friday, the directive aims to create a new external committee with the power to veto awards in the nation’s vast biomedical research portfolio that do not conform to Mr. Trump’s political agenda, according to people with knowledge of the effort. … Traditionally, the N.I.H. selects projects based on expert review of their scientific merit. But Mr. Trump has sought through a series of recent directives in his second term to bring that process under political review, arguing in part that the government has been funding ‘woke’ liberal priorities.” (09/20/26)
“Sal explores cypherpunk ideology and the tools for freedom on the Amsterdam canals. This second-year livestream covers cryptocurrency, privacy technology, and how to opt out of government control.” (09/20/26)
“The most powerful empire on the planet and one of their most depraved attack dogs in the Middle East appear to be afraid of a third world militia that governs a territory smaller than Massachusetts in the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula. We are talking about Donald Trump and MBS here. A serial rapist and a psychopathic boy-king who takes apart his critics with power tools. What exactly are these monsters so afraid of? What is so goddamn terrifying about going toe to toe with a Houthi rebel? To put it succinctly, these bearded Arab bad men appear to be unbreakable.” (09/20/26)
“No Child Left Behind and our kids are getting dumber :: Things that used to be racist :: AI is a bubble and the creators want us to think AI is dangerous so they can get bailed out and regulate the industry for their good :: Sam altman says AI could kill us all :: Sarah asks if God wants us to vote :: Pitocin causes Postpartum Depression :: Regional accents are now a scam vulnerability :: Circumcision makes kids dumber :: They want everyone’s bio details to make profiles on them for tracking :: 2026-09-20 :: Hosts: Bonnie, Lori, Chadd and Alanna.” (09/20/26)
“Two weeks ago, a seemingly minor election in Germany made global headlines: The Alternative for Germany (AfD) took 44 percent of the vote in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, putting the far right within a stone’s throw of government for the first time since World War II. A series of elections held today are unlikely to receive the same attention but may be even more revelatory about Germany’s dire state. The AfD once again had a very strong night in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Just as strikingly, the Christian Democrats fell short of five percent of the vote. As a result, the party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz will be denied any representation in the state’s parliament, the first time this has happened in the history of the Federal Republic.” (09/20/26)
“Three South Korean military personnel were injured Monday in an unidentified explosion south of the Military Demarcation Line in the western section of the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The explosion occurred during a search operation in an area overseen by the Army’s 25th Infantry Division at around 11 a.m., according to local media reports. The military did not specify the source of the explosion. Local reports said it was believed to have been caused by a landmine, although it remained unclear whether it had been planted by North Korea or South Korea.” (09/21/26)