“Yemen’s Houthi rebels [sic] attacked a Liberian-flagged chemical tanker on Thursday in the Red Sea, authorities said. The attack comes as the [Houthis] continue to threaten ships moving through the Red Sea, a waterway that once saw $1 trillion in goods move through it a year, over the ongoing conflicts in the Mideast stemming from the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. The Olympic Spirit tanker in the Red Sea had been skirting the coast of East Africa when it found itself struck first by a projectile that damaged the vessel, but sparked no fire and caused no injuries, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.” (10/10/24)
“Trial by Jury. Thomas Jefferson considered it ‘the only anchor ever imagined by man by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution.’ Jury nullification makes that possible, which is why the government doesn’t want us to know, learn, or use it.” (10/10/24)
“Marriott agreed to pay a $52 million settlement to 49 states and Washington, DC, over a series of data breaches that occurred between 2014 and 2020, affecting more than 334 million customers. As part of a separate agreement, the Federal Trade Commission is also requiring Marriott and its subsidiary, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, to implement an information security program to settle charges over the data breaches.” (10/10/24)
Source: Orange County Register
by Veronique de Rugy
“No matter the result of next month’s election, President Joe Biden will soon leave the White House. That makes it a good time for a nearly final assessment of his and Vice President Kamala Harris’ first-term legacy on federal spending and debt — a tragedy of epic proportion. Unfortunately, neither Harris nor her rival on the campaign trail has made a priority of fixing this problem.” (10/10/24)
“The Kremlin has confirmed that Donald Trump sent Vladimir Putin Covid tests when they were scarce during the early stages of the pandemic, as reported this week in a book by veteran US political journalist Bob Woodward. The Russian president’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov largely confirmed the account of Woodward, whose book reveals how Trump secretly sent tests to the Russian president for his personal use, despite US shortages.” [editor’s note: Sounds like good diplomacy at a low cost to me. Just sayin’ – TLK] (10/10/24)
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen
“From Plato to Acton, Thomas Jefferson to Bertrand Russell, it was regarded as a truism to many great thinkers that those who desire power are the least to be trusted with it. As such, it is unsurprising that from the first experiments in representative government, sortition — election or enfranchisement by lottery — was the popular method reached for by those who sought to safeguard the state from the entrenched tyranny of those who pursued power for its own sake or to enrich themselves.” (10/10/24)
“The latest data on Initial Jobless Claims reveals a concerning trend. The number of individuals filing for unemployment insurance for the first time in the past week has seen a significant increase, with the actual numbers exceeding both forecasted and previous figures. The actual number of Initial Jobless Claims stands at 258K. This figure is notably higher than the forecasted number of 231K, indicating a larger than expected increase in unemployment claims. This surge in claims suggests that more individuals are losing their jobs and seeking unemployment benefits, which could signal trouble for the economy. Furthermore, the current data also surpasses the previous figure of 225K.” (10/10/24)
“A biopic about former President Donald Trump opens this week, with less than a month until the November election. Widely seen as unflattering, the film will surely play along purely partisan lines. But it’s worth noting that if not for the unpopular Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC), it may have had no chance of hitting theaters before the election.” (10/10/24)
