The Brian Nichols Show, 05/01/26
Source: Lions of Liberty
“Energy Insider REVEALS What’s Killing Your Electric Bill (…and it’s NOT AI).” (05/01/26)
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
The Free Speech Warriors Who Now Love Cancel Culture
Source: The Bulwark
by Cathy Young
“As Trump once again calls for Jimmy Kimmel’s firing, many purported defenders of the First Amendment have betrayed their signature cause.” (05/01/26)
One Big Reason Iran Thinks It Has the Advantage
Source: The American Conservative
by Ted Snider
“As Iranians marked the failure of the U.S. military to defeat their country and indeed celebrated a perceived victory, Iran’s parliamentary speaker and head of the negotiating team, Mohammad Ghalibaf, insisted that ‘we are not stronger than the United States in military power.’ Ghalibaf suggested Iran shouldn’t expect to ‘destroy’ the enemy, but instead should translate its battlefield gains into diplomatic leverage. U.S. officials have shown less humility. … Though Iran has been hammered, Ghalibaf may be right to think the Islamic Republic has won diplomatic leverage — and the proud people of Iran whom he chided may be closer to the truth than the boastful Americans. The most obvious source of newfound diplomatic leverage for Iran is its effective control of the Strait of Hormuz, but battlefield outcomes have also made Tehran think it has the advantage in negotiations.” (0501/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/one-big-reason-iran-thinks-it-has-the-advantage/
Trump signs heimatschutz funding bill, ending shutdown for most of agency
Source: Associated Press
“President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, effectively ending the partial government shutdown that began in February. The U.S. House had approved the measure hours earlier following White House warnings that emergency funding for DHS would run out as soon as Friday. The funding bill’s passage comes after more than a month of House Republican opposition to the plan, which advanced unanimously out of the Senate in late March.” (04/30/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/30/congress-dhs-tsa-funding.html
Hakeem Jeffries is a Racist: Or, SCOTUS Gets One Right
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“The Fifteenth Amendment to the US Constitution provides that ‘the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.’ The right to vote does not imply any guarantee of Pantone Matching System [TM] closeness in skin tone between the candidates elected and the voting majorities in districts. Nor should it. If you’re voting on the basis of skin color, You. Are. A. Racist.” (04/30/26)
So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, 04/30/26
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
“Minecraft, censorship, and threats to press freedom with Clayton Weimers.” (04/30/26)
Ukraine expands oil strikes on Russia as Putin proposes brief ceasefire
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Ukrainian drones have again hit oil infrastructure in the city of Perm in central Russia, more than 1,500km from the front line. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said the target in Perm was an Lukoil-owned oil refinery — one of the largest in Russia. Dramatic images shared on social media showed huge columns of black smoke and flames rising into the air, and a chemical emergency alert was issued for some parts of Perm. City authorities later claimed the alert was merely a test. … Moscow continues to target Ukrainian cities with aerial attacks on a regular basis and on Wednesday night killed at least three people and injured 79, including a child. Earlier this week, the SBU said it had hit a strategic hub for Russia’s sprawling oil pipeline system, also in Perm.” (04/30/26)
Whither Spirit
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen
“For years, the guardians of ‘consumer welfare’ in Washington postured as vigilant sentinels against consolidation in the airline industry, so that when JetBlue sought to acquire Spirit Airlines, the Department of Justice intervened immediately and with all earnest. The argument, we were told, was simple: Spirit, the plucky ultra-low-cost carrier, provided downward pressure on fares. To allow its absorption into a larger competitor would be to deprive consumers, especially cost-conscious ones, of a vital check on airline pricing power. … And so the merger was blocked. Fast forward but a few years, and the narrative collapses under its own weight. Spirit, long operating on razor-thin margins and a business model acutely vulnerable to cost shocks, finds itself in dire financial straits. Suddenly, the same political apparatus that insisted on preserving Spirit as an independent competitor now contemplates, or outright endorses, a $500 million taxpayer-funded rescue.” (04/30/26)
US jobless claims hit lowest level since 1969
Source: Yahoo! Finance
“The Labor Department said Thursday that U.S. initial unemployment claims totaled 189,000 for the week ending April 25, down 26,000 from a revised prior-week figure of 215,000. That is the lowest reading in more than 50 years, according to The Associated Press, citing research firm High Frequency Economics, which said the figure was the fewest new applications since September 1969. Analysts had projected 212,000 applications for the week, according to Bloomberg. … historically low filing numbers have persisted even though a string of prominent employers — among them Meta Platforms, Nike, Morgan Stanley, and Amazon — have publicly announced workforce reductions, according to Bloomberg and The Associated Press.” (04/30/26)
https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/articles/u-jobless-claims-hit-lowest-142254322.html
Is China Using Iran as a Proxy Against the US?
Source: The American Conservative
by Ted Galen Carpenter
“Leaders of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have cleverly exploited U.S. policy blunders throughout the international system for at least the past three decades to enhance Beijing’s influence and erode Washington’s. The Trump administration’s mishandling of relations with Iran affords China a new opportunity, and it may prove to be the most significant one yet. Indeed, the question arises whether Xi Jinping’s government is moving beyond passively taking advantage of chronic U.S. ineptitude in the Muslim world and is now actively using Iran and its Shia allies as proxies to create major strategic and economic headaches for the United States. There are indications that the answer is yes.” (04/30/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/is-china-using-iran-as-a-proxy-against-the-u-s/