Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“This coming Fourth of July, when Americans will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, there will be an amusing aspect of the celebrations — the fact that Americans today hate everything our American ancestors stood for. But at least the feelings have been mutual; our American ancestors hated everything that today’s Americans stand for. No, I’m not referring to the issue of slavery. I’m referring to the issue of serfdom. Our American ancestors would never have countenanced a society in which the American people are serfs. Today’s Americans, on the other hand, wouldn’t have it any other way; they love their lives of serfdom.” (03/30/26)
“Israel’s Parliament on Monday passed a law approving the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis. The bill’s passage marked the culmination of a years-long push by Israel’s far-right to escalate punishment for Palestinians convicted of nationalistic offenses against Israelis. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to the chamber to vote yes in person. The law makes the death penalty — by hanging — the default punishment for West Bank Palestinians convicted for nationalistic killings. The law also gives Israeli courts the authority to impose either the death penalty or life imprisonment on its own citizens. It is not retroactive and will apply only to future cases. The measure has been harshly condemned by Israeli and Palestinian rights groups, who say it is racist, draconian and unlikely to deter attacks by Palestinian attackers.” (03/30/26)
“The ‘deadline’ for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face destruction of its power plants works like Donald Trump’s ‘concept of a plan’ on healthcare: it’s always two weeks away. Trump surprised no one with his decision Friday to extend the deadline (the second such postponement) until April 6. When that date arrives, Trump almost certainly will punt again. His ever-moving deadline strategy (on healthcare, tariffs, war, etc.) has become his predictable fallback when a pressure tactic (e.g., threats to bomb Iranian power plants or impose tariffs) proves impossible, too expensive, or just pointless. … time is on Iran’s side.” (03/30/26)
“The leader of a sex-focused women’s wellness company that promoted ‘orgasmic meditation’ was sentenced Monday to nine years in federal prison on forced labor charges, federal prosecutors said. Nicole Daedone, co-founder of OneTaste Inc., was also ordered to forfeit $12 million during the hearing in Brooklyn. That was the amount she sold the California-based company for, according to John Marzulli, spokesperson for the Office of U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. … Daedone’s lawyers didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment after the sentencing. Rachel Cherwitz, the company’s former sales director, was set to be sentenced later Monday. During the roughly one-month trial, prosecutors said the two women ran a yearslong scheme that groomed adherents — many of them victims of sexual trauma — to do their bidding.” (03/30/26)
“The ethical standards for licensed attorneys, including those employed by the DOJ, are imposed and enforced by the states. They are an independent check on the temptation to mislead the court, disregard its orders, or engage in other unethical conduct. Rather than requiring more accountability of its attorneys, the department is proposing to eviscerate the controls that do exist, by making itself the judge of whether misconduct has occurred. This is why alarm bells should be sounded by the Department of Justice’s recent decision to issue a proposed rule which would turn the system on its head. The draft rule would effectively empower the department to indefinitely interrupt state disciplinary investigations by directing an internal ‘review’ of allegations of misconduct against its own attorneys.” (03/30/26)
“As we begin a new week, the media is filled with reports that President Trump is ready to approve a US ground operation against Iran, either to seize Iran’s uranium or to attack an island off the country’s coast. Thousands of US troops have sped to the conflict area to await President Trump’s decision. The President is on the verge of making a serious mistake to add to a series of deadly mistakes that have characterized this terrible war of choice against Iran. A US ground operation against Iran would only achieve the death of thousands of US servicemembers. Of course, if our Congress was doing its job, this debacle would never have started.” (03/30/26)
“Match Group and its subsidiary OkCupid has finally settled a lawsuit with the Federal Trade Commission that dates back to its alleged sharing of user data back in 2014. According to the lawsuit, the FTC accused OkCupid of inappropriately sharing personal user data that includes photos and location info with a third party company, Clarifai, which offers AI-powered software for uses like facial recognition and content moderation. … ‘While we do not admit any wrongdoing, we have settled this matter with the FTC with no monetary penalty to resolve an issue from 2014 and move forward,’ an OkCupid spokesperson told Engadget, adding that the allegations don’t reflect how OkCupid operates today.” (03/30/26)
