Trump’s Red-Carpet Welcome of Mohammed bin Salman

Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger

“Many people are up in arms over President Trump’s red-carpet welcome of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). They cite the CIA’s conclusion that bin Salman orchestrated and ordered the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to secure documents relating to his upcoming marriage. … When it comes to the power of government to kill its own citizens, the Saudi system and the U.S. system are now very similar. That is, in both systems, the regime wields the omnipotent power to kill any citizen who is deemed to be a threat to ‘national security.'” (11/19/25)

https://www.fff.org/2025/11/19/trumps-red-carpet-welcome-of-mohammed-bin-salman/

Labour Is Poised to Boost the Black Market at the Expense of True Fans

Source: Cato Institute
by Ryan Bourne & Nathan Miller

“The UK’s latest plan to ‘put fans first’ is a sweeping ban on ticket resale above face value — a move Housing Minister Steve Reed says will end ‘the scandal of ticket touts.’ New legislation being drawn up by Labour will outlaw selling a ticket for even a pound above face value and cap service fees on resale platforms. … Capping prices below that which people are willing to pay creates a shortage in any official market. Musical artists have limited time to perform, and venues have a limited number of seats. Nothing Starmer does can change that. If his policy is to work for anything, it’ll only work to produce shortages, misallocations, and black markets given some people who missed out in the primary market and are willing to pay more to go will now not be able to make mutually beneficial trades with sellers.” (11/19/25)

https://www.cato.org/commentary/labour-poised-boost-black-market-expense-true-fans

Hybrid Thursday and Year-End Fundraiser Update

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How Donald Trump Lost Control of the Epstein Spin Cycle

Source: Wired
by David Gilbert

“For almost a decade, President Donald Trump has managed to control the conspiracy theory spin around disgraced financier and registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The conspiracy theories benefited him; they were one of the factors buoying him to office. It’s only been in the last few weeks — spurred by the release of new Epstein documents and the public defection of GOP lawamkers — that the complex web of misinformation has spun out of Trump’s control. It all began with QAnon.” (11/19/25)

https://archive.is/WGyca

Mexico: Warning signs appear on beach declaring area restricted by US

Source: CBS News

“On Monday, men arrived in a boat at a beach in northeast Mexico and installed some signs signaling land that the U.S. Department of Defense considered restricted. Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said late Monday that the country’s navy had removed the signs, which appeared to be on Mexican territory. … The signs read in English and Spanish, ‘Warning: Restricted Area,’ and went on to explain that it was Department of Defense property and had been declared restricted by ‘the commander.’ … The U.S. Embassy in Mexico shared a comment from the Pentagon Tuesday about the incident, confirming that contractors putting up signs to mark the ‘National Defense Area III’ had placed signs at the mouth of the Rio Grande. … The Pentagon said the contractors would ‘coordinate with appropriate agencies to avoid confusion in the future.'” (11/19/25)

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/warning-signs-mexico-beach-us-department-of-defense-property/

ICE is grabbing US citizens, defying its own rules and the Constitution

Source: Los Angeles Times
by Raul A Reyes

“Americans have been tackled, tased, beaten and shot by immigration authorities. Some citizens have been held without access to counsel or the ability to call their loved ones. They include a 79-year-old man who was body-slammed to the ground by agents in Van Nuys, an Army veteran in Camarillo who was tear-gassed before being thrown in detention for three days, and a Cal Poly Pomona grad who was knocked down by agents and spent two nights in jail. There are likely many more cases of U.S. citizens held by immigration authorities that have not come to light. The actual numbers are unknown because the government does not release statistics about such encounters. … ICE practices endanger the safety, due process and civil liberties of U.S. citizens. The unlawful arrests and detention of Americans must end.” (11/19/25)

https://archive.is/Fiwnm

Summers resigns from OpenAI board amid Epstein revelations

Source: Axios

“Former Treasury secretary and Harvard president Larry Summers has resigned from the OpenAI board, he and the company told Axios in separate statements Wednesday, amid new revelations about the depths of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. … In recent days, a House panel released years of email exchanges between Epstein and Summers. Among them was one in which Summers appeared to be seeking advice on a relationship with a woman.” (11/19/25)

https://archive.is/yTB0q